The marathon US presidential election is finally staggering towards its long-awaited finish line and the tinfoil cape of destiny. The final few days of any election campaign are traditionally whistle-stop frenzies of waving and attention-seeking, but Barack Obama and his team will, without question, take a couple of hours off their jet-setting schedule to watch the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday.

They will be waving their Union Jacks and clutching their plastic Lewis Hamilton action figures to their bosoms, as they cheer the McLaren driver on to finish fifth or better. Some may even go so far as to sabotage the fuel nozzle on their voodoo Felipe Massa Ferrari.

Because they will be well aware that all the months and months of campaigning, and all the dodging of mud slung from the various catapults of conservatism, will have been for nothing unless the Briton takes the world title.

For his part, the Stevenage speedster must be heartened by the latest opinion polls from the Land of the Free.

A seven-point Obama lead, although not insurmountable, should give him the assurance to drive a controlled, purposeful race, confident of victory.

Because both the Democrats and Hamilton well know that, on the evidence of the past 40 years, the Democrats win elections only in years in which a British driver takes the Formula One world title, and British drivers only ever win Formula One titles in years in which the Democrats take the White House.

The Jimmy Carter-James Hunt ticket did the business in 1976. In 1992, Nigel Mansell and Bill Clinton saw each other to glory, and four years later, President Clinton and Damon Hill will have sent each other congratulatory boxes of chocolates in the post.

If only Al Gore had thrown his entire 2000 campaign budget into improving David Coulthard's McLaren instead of unconvincing advertisements, the world might be a considerably less stroppy place today.

In fact, only once since the establishment of a Formula One championship has a Democratic election victory been achieved without a British driver winning the title, and even then the Australian Jack Brabham who scooted to glory did so in a Cooper-Climax - a British car. All this adds to the already considerable pressure on Hamilton's young but rapid shoulders. Not only must he contend with the weighty hand of sporting history and the feverish expectation of a nation, but he alone essentially controls the result of the most important election in the world - further grist to the mill of those who claim that American democracy is but a sham.

A rat's life

For those who believe that the world is shaped by historical coincidence (a small minority populated entirely by sports commentators), a more worrying US election trend is also visible - 2008 is the Chinese Year of the Rat. In five of the last six Year of the Rat American elections - 1996, 1984, 1972, 1948 and 1936 - the incumbent president has been re-elected.

George W. Bush's greatest political asset has been his ability to win elections in which he seemingly had little or no hope either before or after the votes had been cast.

Let us hope that this Rat Year election proves a bridge too far even for him.

A rabbit shot

But it seems that John McCain will have to pull an especially impressive rabbit out of a seemingly empty hat if he wants to be entrusted with the keys to Air Force One and the most bulging in-tray yet to greet an incoming president.

Most of the American public appear to have twigged that the previous rabbit to emerge was in fact just Sarah Palin in a rabbit outfit, convincing for a while but increasingly disturbing and inappropriate.

In golfing terms, Mrs Palin was an all-or-nothing three-iron out of the heavy rough. Mr McCain took a mighty swing at it, but, unfortunately for the Republicans, hooked it straight into a burger van, angering the crowd and hurting his shoulder in the process, leaving Mr Obama with a simple two-putt for the White House.

Mr McCain may well complain about the Democrats being able to afford better clubs, but he and his caddie still chose the wrong shot at the wrong time.

The Republicans have left their victory surge late. It is hard to see what else Mr McCain can now do, particularly as the majority has decided that Mr Obama is not a terrorist after all, despite the mounting thimble of evidence against him.

Perhaps they are again relying on the Democrats' recent ability to yank defeat from halfway down the oesophagus of victory, aided by dubious electoral practices giving a helping Heimlich manoeuvre.

But, at least, for the first time in 12 years, the world can go to bed on the night of the US election safe in the knowledge that George W. Bush won't have been elected by the time they wake up.

Sleep well.

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