11.   Such are the gentle jabs that pass as heated rhetoric here, where the base rivalry is as muted as the late-winter landscape.

12.   The bombing in Oklahoma City and the heated rhetoric from some pro-gun forces may jeopardize any chance firearms advocates had of repealing the federal ban on semi-automatic assault weapons.

13.   The divisive shrieking of talk radio does not mirror the American mind any more than the heated rhetoric of well-armed civilians in camouflage.

14.   The diplomatic flurry came amid increasingly heated rhetoric over the long impasse, as Israeli and Palestinians blamed each other for the deadlock.

15.   The issue has prompted some heated rhetoric on both sides.

16.   The heated rhetoric and legislative tactics underway today were played out before.

17.   The ruling comes after two weeks of heated political rhetoric, dueling lawsuits and tangled court proceedings.

18.   The Washington elite, special interest groups and media are responsible for the heated rhetoric that often dominates airwaves, according to Giles.

19.   To an extent, the heated rhetoric labeling drug makers as price gougers and profiteers reflects election-year politics.

20.   What has been lost in all the heated rhetoric in the Central Valley is what is really at stake, environmentalists say.