Word: blocking
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...politically." In other words: Let's address your concerns behind closed doors rather than embarrassing the Senate as a whole with these kind of votes. Traditionally Senators are leery of voting against another's earmarks, even if they are bike paths; their own might be on the chopping block next. "But I think in the future we could work with them," Lott added. "It's incumbent upon us to find a way to do that. A lot of their amendments, especially their fiscally related amendments, have a lot of attractiveness...
...practical political terms, Ghanem's death has reduced to just three the slim lead held in the 128-seat Lebanese parliament by the anti-Syrian majority known as the March 14 block, which forms the backbone of the Western-supported government. Lebanese parliamentarians are expected to convene on September 25 to elect a new president. The current incumbent, Emile Lahoud, a close ally of Damascus, is due to step down on November 24. Most analysts doubt that the election will be held on Tuesday and expect the crisis to continue right until the end of Lahoud's term...
...March 14 block and the pro-Syrian opposition led by the powerful militant Shi'ite Hizballah have been at loggerheads for months over the identity of the next President. In Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, the presidency is reserved for Maronite Catholics. Several contenders have announced their candidacy, although no clear consensus has yet emerged that would satisfy both factions. The March 14 block is pushing to elect one of their own, but the opposition has threatened to form a second rival government if an acceptable candidate is not found...
...Karamanlis's reelection also heralds a tougher stance on foreign policy issues. In nationwide televised debate that offered the most intimate glimpse of the top candidates ahead of Sunday's poll, a stern-looking Karamanlis warned he would block Macedonia's efforts to join NATO and the European Union unless a decade-long dispute over the name of the neighbouring state was resolved. The threat sparked a diplomatic tiff between Athens and Skopje since the debate, with Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovksi saying he would withdraw from the U.N.-brokered name talks if Greece vetoed his country's designs to join...
...Locke may have been exclusively Chinese, but the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 - which blocked Chinese immigration for more than 60 years -meant that it shared the bachelor culture of other Chinatowns in the U.S. Still, although gambling dens and brothels flourished, residents ran an organized, tight-knit community. Because the wooden buildings were susceptible to fire, an elderly town crier patrolled the streets every night. At half-hour intervals, he rapped on a wooden block, assuring everyone that all was well. The Delta Chinese were also politically active in support of democracy back home, raising substantial funds to support...