21.   The president, acknowledged even by his foes as a shrewd political operator, apparently misjudged the scale of protest that would result from overturning the local election results.

22.   He is currently an energetic political operator and legislature speaker whom many indigenous people admire as a would-be hardline crime-fighter.

23.   A shrewd political operator, most commentators were cautious about predicting his downfall just yet.

24.   And if the tough political operator has his way, concerned investors, both here and abroad, are not likely to find relief soon.

25.   Beneath the affability and well-developed sense of occasion, however, Mr. Wilson was a tough, highly astute political operator.

26.   But experts say the two charismatic leaders are similar political operators.

27.   Djindjic, a svelte political operator, hopes that local authority in the Serbian capital will serve as a springboard to national power.

28.   Experts say the two charismatic leaders are similar political operators.

29.   Jacques Santer takes over at the helm of the European Commission next week having navigated his way through a minefield that might have sunk a less adroit political operator.

30.   Many analysts see Chubais as a shrewd political operator with a Machiavellian streak -- an image that sits uncomfortably with his avowed democratic credentials.