Hi, Definition
Today I keep thinking back to the the morning after the speech before. You know, the one I mean. The speech that catapulted David Cameron from "most likely to be eliminated first" to "the man to beat".
I was breakfasting with a close friend of DC (they prefer calling him that now to "Dave" since so many people winced at that). As we pushed our greasy bacon around our plates I said "you do realise, don't you..." Before I could finish my sentence my guest did it for me "…that we might actually win? Yes. We suddenly realised that late last night".
Since that night Team Cameron have had almost two months to work out what to do if - when - they took control. Today we find out.
Who and what defines the new Tory leader in his first few days and weeks may hold the key to his success in the years to come. Cameron is a relatively blank sheet in the public's mind. 
The good news for the Tories is that that means he's not associated with past mistakes. The bad news is that he will defined by his first few appearances in the public spotlight. Get it wrong - at PMQs or by self consciously wearing a baseball cap - and he'll find it very hard to escape the image the public forms of him. Ask William Hague if you don't believe me.
Then there are the enemies and the misguided friends who try to help define him all too quickly. Gordon Brown began yesterday by claiming that the reassuringly ill-defined Cameron pledge to share the proceeds of economic growth really meant savage spending cuts.
He hopes to tempt the man he expects to face at the next election to confirm or deny - either will do - as that will trigger a battle within the Tories about what it should stand for. Messrs Hague, Duncan Smith and Howard all started out talking about modernising and ended humming traditional Tory tunes under pressure from their party and the Tory press to score some runs.
The hired hands of American politics always tell their candidates "Define your opponent before they can define themselves". They get paid good money because they're right.
By the way... Anyone got any idea what I should say if Davis wins? Perhaps I should study for ways to say "I got it wrong" without, er, actually saying that.
I'm 
