Knox, whose pretty face maintained its carefree smile throughout her trial, was the ideal female suspect for an Italian murder - "the face of an angel - but the eyes of a killer, " as one (Italian) commentator described her.

BBC: Who is the real 'Foxy Knoxy'?

Yet if you ask Democrats what their central message is to keep control of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, you're likely to get a lot of head scratching, finger pointing and eyes rolling to the skies, maybe in search of an angel descending from heaven to give them a clue.

CNN: Democrats, show some fight!