On hearing of the death of Talleyrand, the Machiavellian French diplomat, Louis Philippe asked: “What didhe mean by that?” Muchthe same “meta-analysis” applies to Bill and Hillary Clinton, whose every comment is parsed for hidden motivation.

The Clintons may well be plotting their course for retaking the White House in 2012 having watched an ageing John McCain defeat Barack Obama this November. Nothing they said and did this week is inconsistent with that view. But then nor was their long, choreographed and highly threatrical role at the Denver convention at odds with a more charitable interpretation.