So it will be Mitt Romney versus Barack Obama in November.

Romney's runaway win in Illinois made it certain that he will be on the starting blocks when the Republican primary concludes.

It will be a fascinating race. Don't believe those who tell you it is Obama's to lose.

Every presidential race starts off 45-45 with ten per cent undecided.

Obama's 'landslide' over John McCain was actually 52 - 48 and that was with a collapsing economy and nutty choice for VP dragging down McCain.

So Obama is no shoo-in.

Sure, he will start favorite but the conventional wisdom this season has been way wrong.

The CV and the experts never saw the rise of Gingrich, then his downfall, or the rise of Santorum or his demise either.

It is a fluid situation.

An Israeli attack on Iran could change the card game awful fast.

If Iran were to block the Straits of Hormuz say and prevent oil tamkers leaving, then an American presidential election could be thrown up in the air.

While the economy is puttering along, it is certainly not in full recovery mode.

Much will depend how Romney repositions himself to the center in the coming months.

He simply has to do that to win over the ten per cent in the middle who will decide this election.

It will be an uphill fight for him, but by no means an impossible one.

Let the games begin.