1.   At the Olympic gala, clouds of smoke billowed in the television lights above Rabin as the gruff old general chain-smoked during the event.

2.   But the gruff former general has never been skilled at masking his feelings.

3.   The gruff former general, who threw his support to Yeltsin after finishing third in the first round of balloting, has already been claiming broader powers.

4.   Zyuganov himself has hinted in the past at an alliance with Lebed, a gruff retired general who enjoys high rankings in most popularity polls.