Word: crucially
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...negotiate foreign-trade deals that could be worth tens of billions of dollars in extra growth for the U.S. and the global economy. But for Capitol Hill watchers, the victory (twice denied to President Clinton) was at least as notable for the White House's impressive arm twisting: several crucial votes came from G.O.P. Representatives from states that have been especially hard hit by trade competition. One key pro-Bush vote, for example, came from North Carolina Republican Robin Hayes, who regularly opposes trade bills but switched sides after the White House promised to protect his state's textile producers...
...important ways, though, James has changed: he's gone from producing rap-metal records outside the family business to this new job, so crucial to its success. It's unlikely anyone else with his track record could have snagged the top post at a $2.5 billion company that beams its signal in eight languages to 53 countries ("I don't think TV gets harder than STAR," says chief programmer Steve Askew). Yet Rupert Murdoch chose his youngest son as his lieutenant in Asia, just as giants such as AOL Time Warner, Sony and Disney came rushing in. This office?sensible...
...compromise bill does not punish states if their tests do not meet national standards, so states have little incentive to foot any of the bill on their own. Says Andrew Rotherham, whose policy paper for the Progressive Policy Institute provided the basis for much of the bill, "It's crucial for states to do testing the right way, but it's up to Congress and the Bush administration...
...bill also gives states the crucial task of defining "proficiency": what score do students need to pass the tests? If the bar is set too low, the legislation will be meaningless. But there's also a risk in demanding too much. Warns Dan Koretz, a Harvard education professor who specializes in high-stakes assessments: "If the bar is set too high, it becomes impossible to meet by legitimate ends. There will be enormous pressure to take short cuts. You'll see a dangerous over-emphasis on test preparation and cheating...
...operational commander, and although he is known to his acolytes as "the sheikh" he has no clerical standing, either. His contribution may have come primarily as a rainmaker raising funds among wealthy Gulf Arabs in his role as political leader. Bin Laden's death or capture would be a crucial symbolic victory, and dramatically diminish the morale of the remaining terror cells. But the dispersal and autonomy of al Qaeda's structures and alliances is designed precisely to ensure its survival even after its leadership is eliminated...