11.   Hess, the presidential scholar, discounted the notion that Cheney had been silenced by Bush aides anxious to protect the take-charge image of the commander in chief.

12.   Johnson discounts such notions, saying he has felt the same from the first day of training camp.

13.   Nader discounted the notion that the election could have a meaningful effect on abortion rights.

14.   Police are nonetheless discounting the notion of a suicide pact and say some violent crime was committed.

15.   Some do not discount the notion of an upset by Spitzer, a young former prosecutor.

16.   Stern discounts the notion that players were more passionate about their jobs two decades ago.

17.   The former Texas Tech standout discounted the notion she and Cooper have been at odds.

18.   The scientific community is all but unanimous in discounting the notion that cancer clusters can be traced to environmental factors.

19.   They are calculating the best angles to job security, including working harder and shrewder, and discounting the notion that a paycheck is an entitlement.

20.   They discount the notion that governments will spend precious research dollars on studies of a disease that no longer exists.