The hedge vote By Phil Albinus

The run-up to the US presidential election last year looked like it would revolve around yet another debate on the war in Iraq. Not so any longer. The surge appears to be working - or at the very least reducing - the grinding daily violence, allowing the debate to return to issues that have more of a direct impact on the lives of US voters. These issues may be old hat but there's a reason they're political evergreens: the economic security of the middle class; healthcare; jobs; aiding the