Lost in the wash of all the obituaries this week of Robert McNamara as architect of the Vietnam War was the fact that he recreated himself as president of the World Bank for 13 years, arguably its most successful period ever.

Second acts are very much the American way, particularly in politics. Edward Kennedy progressed from lecher to liberal lion, Robert Byrd from the Ku Klux Klan to conscience of the Senate. Al Gore was a miserable presidential candidate but now saves the earth. And just look at Jimmy Carter.