Word: chameleonic
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...tried his hardest to steer the conversation back from the economy to national security by claiming, without any real evidence, that Romney supported a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. They are envious of his near-bottomless bank account, revolted by his hard-nosed attacks and turned off by his chameleon-like handling of the issues. They interpret his hokey demeanor and polished presentation as a fundamental lack of character. And they are right that Romney has behaved poorly, and offered real reasons for voters to be suspicious of his convictions. But they are wrong to think he lacks a solid...
...coalition's most likely candidate is Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a French-trained economist and political chameleon. Having been, at various points in his career, a communist, a Ba'athist and a secular liberal democrat, he has switched directions so many times it's hard to know which way he's going. These days, Abdul-Mahdi represents the Shi'ite-fundamentalist Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), which, like Maliki's Dawa Party, is beholden to Tehran. Twice in the past two years, Abdul-Mahdi has told journalists he was on the verge of quitting the SIIC to form his own party...
...stars have to be distinguished from the previous generation: the hyperactive chameleon-comedians Robin Williams, Jim Carrey and Eddie Murphy. Ferrell doesn't dazzle by slipping into a zillion roles (as he did on Saturday Night Live). He found a persona the audience likes--the lanky, ungainly goof who thinks he's a supreme jock--and he mostly sticks with it. He knows the mass audience wants its stars only in their familiar mode. When they try going upmarket--Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction, Sandler in Spanglish--the fan base deserts them...
...troubles - and possible ouster from Congress - have opened a window for another controversial would-be power broker. Despite Nagin's sagging popularity, the colorful New Orleans mayor came back from the brink of political extinction by solidly winning a second term last November. He's something of a political chameleon, easygoing and businesslike when he needs to impress his conservative constituents and, since Hurricane Katrina, capable of a fiery, defiant oratory that has endeared him to a lot of African-Americans who are still struggling to get their lives back together - and who blame much of their difficulties...
...then filling in the rest with arpeggios and scales. He can shift to a different key midway through a tune, without stopping. He can dip into his mental library of thousands of tunes and come up with surprising hybrids - Mozart in the style of Joplin; Culture Club's Karma Chameleon as Chopin might have played it; Handel's Water Music with a ragtime twist. "Very few musicians can do what he does," says Roger Huckle, the Emerald Ensemble's director. "It's very rare to have the flexibility of a jazz player coupled with the fine technique of a classical...