David Cameron is now going to have to run a 14 month marathon

This morning I listened, as much as you can when your getting kids ready for school, to David Cameron's interview on R4's today.

As ever I was irritated by the BBC's instance on pushing the line that Labour would have them take ( the journalistic game of this week is to get the "Tories will cut " headline for Gordon to play with ).

But I was impressed by how David Cameron dealt with the tricks, and referred back to what the Conservatives have already said and proposed to answer these questions.

Not every question deserves an answer in the terms the questioner demands.

As a young man I was always impressed by how Jesus handled trick questions from those who were trying to trap him.

David Cameron's going to need that wisdom over the long distance to the next election.

Gordon Brown, ever the partisan politician, wants and advanced copy of the Conservative manifesto so he can implement the things he can and misrepresent those he can't. He has no "vision" of his own - just a parasite grasp on the leavers of power and a determination to survive whatever the cost tot he country and its people.

This game is going to be played out until we are all sick of it - but play it David Cameron must and he must pace himself and deal with the spin, smears and lies that Brown / Balls /Mandelson will try to throw at him.

The good news, and there is so little of that these days, is he seems up to the task.