Emmanuel Macron was the "can't lose" candidate in the French presidential election. Impeccably well-credentialed. Handsome and sharp. Running against a far-right populist who spurs frightened talk of fascism. The polls showed him comfortably ahead, said the analysts. There was little chance that his opponent, Marine Le Pen of the National Front, could close such an enormous gap.
"Where have we heard that before?" muttered Americans.
As Election Day waned on Sunday, slight traces of nervousness could be observed. Voter turnout was down from previous second-round elections, a circumstance that was thought to favor Le Pen. Brexit ... Trump ... could Le Pen be about to add her name to the litany of nasty surprises for the globe's cosmopolitan ruling class?