In a matter of weeks since taking office, after winning an election by getting fewer votes than his opponent, George W Bush has achieved a great deal.

He has talked the US economy into a slump so he can justify tax cuts for the wealthy elite and cut spending on public services.

He has scrapped globally-agreed targets for reducing pollution in the US so big business can profit.

And he has engineered Cold War-style confrontations with Russia and China so US arms companies can expect big orders from his administration.

Any campaign talk of "compassionate conservatism" has been swiftly forgotten. And this is the man William Hague hopes to emulate.

-Warren Morgan, Brighton