11.   By the weekend, the Republican ranks were splitting, which resulted in a last-minute move to fudge the issue.

12.   DeLay has made it a mission to try to swell Republican ranks along the lobbying corridors and has hit a few rocky shoals because of it.

13.   Despite disagreement within Republican ranks over budget priorities, GOP leaders signaled this week a willingness to delay a tax cut to progress to a budget plan.

14.   Democrats said they were pleased to see the splits in Republican ranks.

15.   Dole has taken some criticism within Republican ranks for failing to persuade the Senate Budget Committee to include a tax cut in its budget-balancing plan.

16.   Even so, several conservatives said the Jones case had exacerbated tensions within Republican ranks.

17.   For his part, Clinton seemed to relish the confusion in Republican ranks Friday.

18.   For his part, Clinton seemed to relish the confusion in Republican ranks.

19.   For instance, he is considered a moderate, and even a liberal by some within the Republican ranks, on civil rights and some social issues.

20.   He is too late to prevent divisions among the Republican ranks from bursting into the open, with moderates announcing their backing for a rise in the minimum wage.