If you want an insight into the American election, look at The Guardian's decision to halt its assault on a single county - Clark County, Ohio. The UK newspaper and its supporters had been seeking to score a victory for John Kerry by writing, e-mailing and otherwise brow-beating the county's voters. Ohio demurred and The Guardian backed down.

But the newspaper's Ohio adventure highlights a larger struggle. This election, many believed, would be a typical struggle of rich against poor. Instead it has turned out to be one of elites against populists. And not merely the domestic "blue state" against "red state" struggle so much discussed, but also one involving foreign policy.