11.   By late afternoon, Hastert had the public backing of the current leadership, including Reps. Dick Armey and DeLay of Texas and Newt Gingrich, the current speaker.

12.   Clarity is important for gaining public backing, and it is best achieved by matching the right policy concepts to each case requiring action.

13.   Dole, however, may have trouble winning the necessary public backing to make deep cuts in entitlements a reality.

14.   He lost the vote, but won more public backing.

15.   In the Arab world, where the Persian Gulf War was widely supported, public backing for the United States is now sparse.

16.   Just as importantly, any effort in LA that lacks massive public financial backing is doomed to mediocrity.

17.   Karl Malone has given his vote of confidence to Jerry Sloan, and Jackson long has had the public backing of Michael Jordan.

18.   Merritt said the best programs are the ones that have public backing.

19.   Sens. McCain and Feingold believe they have the public backing to play tough with Trent Lott.

20.   The governments realized that public backing for the venture is slackening, especially with negotiations failing and casualties mounting.