“You campaign in poetry but you govern in prose,” was the well-known political slogan being recycled by Hillary Clinton’s camp on Wednesday. The former first lady’s two-point victory over Bar­ack Obama in New Hampshire, however, by no means spells the end of what has been dubbed “Obamamania”.

Having won emphatically in Iowa last week, Mr Obama is now likely to face a close two-way race for the Democratic nomination. Few people are willing to bet on who will prevail.