It sounded like the dialogue from a bad spy film.
"This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility."
"I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir."
But in fact it was a exchange between President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, accidentally caught on an open microphone as they discussed apparently deadlocked talks on a missile shield - and it quickly lodged itself in the American presidential campaign debate.
