1.   Ashcroft and management lobbying groups, like the Labor Policy Association in Washington, say the proposal would liberate workers.

2.   Both gay and anti-gay lobbying groups brought all their firepower to bear on the Hefley amendment.

3.   Last weekend, the Cuban American National Foundation, the anti-Castro lobbying group, began running television ads reminding voters that Cuba is run by a communist regime.

4.   Lobbying groups that only spend money to promote issues, and not candidates, would still be exempt, they say.

5.   So hermetically have talks been sealed that no one lobby group knows for certain which other groups gave their views.

6.   Such arguments raised the ire of former Whitewater independent counsel Kenneth Starr, who is employed by the anti-Microsoft lobbying group ProComp.

7.   The bond firm lobbying group said other auction-based methods of determining fair market prices were just as effective.

8.   The company threatened to move its headquarters out of the city, and also lobbied arts groups it had subsidized to support its position.

9.   The congressional opponents are supported by powerful business lobbying groups, led by the National Association of Manufacturers and the National Federation of Independent Business.

10.   The Foundation, a powerful anti-Castro lobbying group, has been welcome at the White House for nearly two decades.