41.   And it is, administration officials acknowledged, a high-stakes gamble.

42.   And state education officials acknowledged that the exact procedure for submitting leases was not agreed upon until last year.

43.   And in Baltimore, officials acknowledge that they could just as easily tilt their video cameras to look inside windows rather than remain trained on the street.

44.   And officials have acknowledged that poor decisions and overspending exacerbated the financial problems.

45.   And officials acknowledged that some schools would not be ready for weeks.

46.   And Palm Beach County officials acknowledged that they would be unable to complete the hand recount before Thanksgiving Day.

47.   And railroad officials acknowledge that many of the engineers who account for the bulk of the safety violations are under no greater scrutiny than their colleagues with flawless records.

48.   And the personal relationship between Clinton and Jiang has been cool, administration officials acknowledge.

49.   And state officials acknowledge that foul-ups in the complex new system have caused thousands of families to temporarily lose benefits, often through no fault of their own.

50.   And Tuesday for the first time, Russian officials acknowledged that the armed forces had suffered heavy losses.