Hillary and Laura setto take battle of dynasties back to White House

For fans lamenting the long-ago fading away of the old soap opera Dynasty, there may be some consolation on the horizon. It comes not from the world of entertainment but from politics, and this show would rather be called "Dynasties - Bush versus Clinton".

For fans lamenting the long-ago fading away of the old soap opera Dynasty, there may be some consolation on the horizon. It comes not from the world of entertainment but from politics, and this show would rather be called "Dynasties - Bush versus Clinton".

Both families already have some claim to the dynasty moniker. President George Bush took up residence in the White House eight years after his father. The man between was Bill Clinton. His wife, Hillary, went on to become a Senator for New York.

But this particular drama may have more episodes to run. It is not just that speculation is at fever pitch that Hillary will try to secure a second term in the Senate next year and will almost certainly then run for the presidency in 2008. There is also this: what about a third President Bush? Or, to be more precise, what about President Laura Bush?

The gossip about Hillary is far from ludicrous. Unlike when she ran in New York in 2000, she is keeping options open for 2008. Meanwhile, a CNN-USA Today poll issued last week showed a majoritysaying they would vote for her if she makes a run for the White House.

The Laura stories are a bit harder to take seriously. It is true, though, that recent weeks have seen her taking an unusually high profile - wowing the audience at a White House press dinner with well-aimed jokes and representing her husband on a tour last month of the Middle East. We also know that the first lady is popular with voters, although very few of them.

That, apparently, is not beyond the imagination of everyone. Thus it was that a few nights ago Lynne Cheney, the wife of the Vice-President, made a surprising remark in an interview with CNN's Larry King. "You know, people are thinking of Mrs Clinton running for president. I think Mrs Bush ought to run for president," she said. "If we want to have a Bush dynasty, let's get Laura Bush."