1.   After an agonizing week of contradictory signals, the Bush administration stepped forward to do just that on Thursday with a pointed and powerful speech by the president.

2.   But when Israelis and Palestinians agreed to negotiate the settlements issue as part of the Oslo peace agreements, the Clinton administration rightly stepped aside.

3.   So far, the administration stepped back from efforts to revive the peace process.

4.   The administration is stepping gingerly in its dealings with Congress on the Haiti policy.

5.   The administration is consciously stepping back from the tone unilateralism it was using earlier this year.

6.   Wisely, the Bush administration has stepped back from early rhetoric that suggested its missile defense plans were set and the world would simply have to adapt to them.

7.   In its early weeks, the Bush administration stepped back from involvement in peacemaking.

8.   In its early weeks, the Bush administration stepped back from peacemaking.

9.   Mubarak came bearing Arab concerns that the Bush administration is stepping back from its role as a peace broker.

10.   The Bush administration stepped into the case in October after the judge had issued a default judgment against Iran, which has chosen not to defend the case.