This 42－year－old political prodigy rose with extraordinaryspeed from new Member of Parliament in 2001 to thepinnacle of his party just four years later，F(xiàn)rom the outset，Cameron conducted himself with the confidence of a veteran. Onlythree days into his job as Conservative leader，he faced then PrimeMinister Tony Blair，one of the greatest natural politicians of the age，in the House of Commons. “You were the future once，” quippedCameron. His opponent suddenly looked old and spent. Now Blair islong gone，and the brief bloom of popularity enjoyed by his successor，Gordon Brown，has withered. Trailing Labour this time last year，theConservatives are looking unassailable.