Word: brethren
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...familiar with their own minds, change at all? Some experts say it's the political environment (Chief Justice Warren Burger, appointed by Richard Nixon, was most liberal when Jimmy Carter was President and most conservative under Ronald Reagan). Others say Justices particularly skilled in persuasion sway their more malleable brethren. A more hopeful theory is that cases are so thoroughly briefed and argued by the time they reach the court that the truly compelling side, regardless of ideology, wins out. In other words, Justices often abandon ideology simply to make the right decision...
...intemperate anti-Bush tirades: Chavez calls Bush a "donkey," the Administration calls Chavez a menace, Chavez's poll numbers rise. But this time Chavez looked a bit like the dupe: rather than ignoring Bush's fence-mending foray, Chavez frantically crisscrossed the continent, heckling him and warning his Latin brethren not to listen to Bush - as if Chavez might be genuinely concerned that the U.S.'s new diplomatic tone could pick up a few hearts and minds...
...fact of military aviation that helicopters flying in combat are accidents waiting to happen. Unlike their fixed-wing brethren, helicopters tend to be slow, which on the battlefield is another word for vulnerable. Beyond that, they tend to fly low, hugging the contours of the terrain in what pilots called nap-of-the-earth flight (that's what upsets unpracticed bellies). The tactic certainly reduces the helicopter's exposure to enemy fire from below, but it doesn't eliminate it. Helicopter pilots speak warily of "golden BBs" that can bring down their bird. There are a fair number of bull...
...prefer Sarkozy to 48% for Royal in a head-to-head contest. But Socialists are more concerned by polls suggesting that their candidate's often random comments are undermining that ineffable quality of being "presidentiable," or enrobed with sufficient natural authority and gravitas for the top job. Her Socialist brethren used a version of that argument, often with a sexist undertone, to try to disqualify Royal last year, and it didn't work. But in France's relatively short campaign, mistakes are cumulative. Royal has inspired enthusiasm, but to recover from her current slump, she'll need to do more...
...Tehran probably fears an Iraqi civil war more than it relishes calling the shots in Baghdad. One big reason is the Kurds. The more Iraq unravels, the closer Iraq's Kurds will edge toward outright secession. And the closer they get, the more likely it is that their Kurdish brethren across the border--who make up 7% of Iran's population--will try to join them. As non-Persians (and Sunnis to boot), Iran's Kurds get nothing but abuse from their Shi'ite masters in Tehran. In July 2005, Iranian police killed a Kurdish opposition figure, strapped his body...