11.   Basically, these techniques will lower the amount of existing debt that counts against the debt ceiling, so that there is enough borrowing capacity to sell new bonds.

12.   A vote on a permanent debt ceiling should take place within a few days.

13.   But eventually the government will default unless Congress raises the debt ceiling.

14.   But Gingrich and Dole told the president that there were many lawmakers who still wanted to link the raising debt ceiling to the budget to apply political pressure.

15.   But it came about as a result of the squabbling between Congress and the president about raising the debt ceiling at the end of March.

16.   But negotiators put off any agreement on extending the federal debt ceiling to allow the government to borrow money in the bond markets.

17.   But such optimism was overshadowed in the bond market by growing worries about the fight in Washington concerning the Federal debt ceiling and the risk of a default.

18.   But the debt ceiling is the most pressing.

19.   By finding ways around the debt ceiling until now, Rubin has successfully prevented the Republicans from using the threat of default as a lever in their budget negotiations.

20.   Clinton today vetoed a temporary extension to the debt ceiling because it contained provisions he considered unacceptable.