51.   Bush has closed the deal, more or less, with Elton Davenport of Summerfield, North Carolina, a Democrat who voted for the GOP nominee.

52.   But closing the deal was another thing altogether.

53.   But FeedRoom is designed with advertisers well in mind, and Klein said he expected to close some deals soon.

54.   But Gillet said he hired Atlas Pearlman before the deal was closed and has a cancelled check to prove it.

55.   But he and Rebecca Nahas, a Compaq spokeswoman, declined to say where the anticipated cuts would be made until after the deal is closed.

56.   But he knew how to close the deal.

57.   But he bragged that it was his charisma that closed the deal.

58.   But Prager never sent them the ignition key to close the deal because he had a feeling that his car had been towed.

59.   But passage would all but close the deal because funding for a new facility is the only significant obstacle left.