Washington | The Democrats have had a shocker. A week they’ll be keen to quickly forget saw them forced to watch their loathed President indulge in an orgy of gloating and ugly score-settling after his Senate acquittal on two articles of impeachment.

They’ve been humiliated by a stupefying counting blunder in the Iowa caucuses, an own goal that marred what was meant to be a triumphant start to their campaign to unseat Donald Trump in November.