But a sizeable number of those rightwing pundits whose hearts were broken by the defenestration of Margaret Thatcher appear to have gone gaga for McCain's US presidential running mate Sarah Palin (pictured). The lust and the longing in what they write is barely concealed.

In terms of centre-right female politicians on the world stage, I suppose she almost qualifies as a bit of a hottie, if Angela Merkel is taken as the relevant yardstick. But steady on, chaps. All a bit sudden, isn’t it?

Simon Heffer in the Telegraph is one of those who listened to what Palin had to say on Wednesday night and came away deeply impressed:

She is an astounding politician. In nearly 25 years of being paid to sit through political speeches, I struggle to think of one I have heard that was more immediately successful and that will prove to have been such a moment in history.

Hang on a minute; all the woman has done so far is to show that she can competently deliver a ghost-written attack dog speech. That’s a useful enough ability to have as a politico, but one that lots of people can deliver that one.

Palin remains an unknown quantity. Until the last week or so, few political commentators in the US could have had anything more than a cursory awareness of who she was; it’s a fair bet that most of the hacks who have compiled profiles of her on this side of the Atlantic had even heard of her.

As a journalist myself, I’ve obviously got nothing against columnists who make stuff up as they go along. But Richard Littlejohn’s outpourings in the Daily Mail this morning are a classic of the genre. Let’s subject it to a quick fisk:

Sarah Palin is every Guardianista's worst nightmare.

Worst nightmare? Naaah, mate. As a paid up leftie, plenty of things keep me awake at night. But the prospect of a Republican veep is not even in the top ten. The job is essentially idiot proof. One need only remember the tenure of a certain J Danforth Quayle to underline that point.

But if Palin is a Guardianista’s nightmare, she is patently Uncle Rich’s wet dream:

Sarah Palin is every red-blooded redneck's fantasy figure, every randy schoolboy's Mrs Robinson … Cheerleader, beauty queen, dominatrix of the Harper Valley PTA …

You what? Back in the 1970s I was a randy schoolboy myself. I dreamt of being deflowered by various sultry temptresses in the fourth form, any number of page 3 pin-ups, and in the optimum scenario, I wanted to break my duck with Suzi Quatro. But certainly not anybody on Wellingborough Grammar School Parent Teacher Association.

Interesting, the normally staid Blairite Martin Kettle – writing in the Guardian – brands Palin ‘a political dominatrix from the Arctic’. Is there an Ice Maiden vibe going on, maybe?

Perhaps such disturbing visions say it all about the sexuality about gentlemen of a certain age. Perhaps I am just missing something here.

But back to Littlejohn. He accuses the left of gratuitously playing the hockey mom and not the ball when tackling Palin:

What they are doing is what they usually do when confronted with something which offends their world view - character assassination … A supermarket tabloid is claiming she had an affair, which she denies.

Sure. Character assassination. Leftie speciality, innit? I mean, the US right would never stoop that low. Or would they? I seem to remember last time round, when Fox News and their ilk managed to contrast the military service records of draft dodger Dubya and Vietnam vet John Kerry, and somehow find Kerry wanting in patriotism.

More recently, the US conservative media scuppered John Edwards’ bid for the Democratic nomination with revelations that he was partial to a spot of extramarital. That’s politics these days. And before getting all self-righteous on this one, let’s not forget that the Daily Mail – not an organ of the left, one is forced to concede - splashed Palin’s ‘denied affair’ story across two pages.

You've just got to like a woman who calls her son after a character in Only Fools And Horses. Although it's probably fair to assume she doesn't have a working knowledge of Cockney rhyming slang, otherwise her daughter would never have been christened Bristol.

This is one of Littlejohn’s better points. It’s worth noting that the Palin offspring rejoice in the monikers Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and, er, Trig. It's only surprising she didn't call one of them Swindon. Who could vote for a mother inconsiderate enough to inflict that on her kids?

What she does have in spades is experience of the energy industry - the number one concern right now. Palin would drill, drill and drill some more - polar bears or no polar bears.

Finally, we get to the nub of the matter. Palin is square with the oil industry. So that’s alright, then.

Lastly, Littlejohn signs off with the by now obligatory Thatch comparison:

Remember, they all laughed at Margaret Thatcher. But ho, ho, ho, who had the last laugh?

Well, not the three million unemployed or Britain’s mining communities or the Falklands dead, that’s for certain, Richard.

We’ll see whether Palin gets in or not. But the reality is, whoever takes over at the White House next year, Democrat or Republican, they will serve the interests of the US ruling class that put them there. One way or the other, it won’t make a whole lot of difference to the genuine left.