John Ashcroft drops out of the presidential race before anyone knew he was in it. Of course, in today’s environment you have to ask whether that means he had an affair he doesn’t want to come out. Get used to it: even if it isn’t about sex, it’s still about sex.

Or at least about gender. The following is the summary of two stories from the index to the British news section of tomorrow’s Times:

[19]Women kick men when they are down
Survey indicates that women are more likely to attack men when they are most vulnerable

[20]The Thatcher theory of women’s success
Study shows female managers go to great lengths to appear more macho than men, writes Alexandra Frean