11.   It would be the first federal execution since John F. Kennedy was president.

12.   Lawmakers have recently cited the accounts of such mistakes and poor legal representation in calling for changes to federal execution law.

13.   Opponents of the death penalty have called for a moratorium on federal executions.

14.   The Department of Justice set similar rules for federal executions.

15.   They have enlisted the American Bar Association, which in a highly unusual move last month, called on President Clinton to declare a moratorium on federal executions.

16.   Trouble is, federal executions, assuming they even get underway this decade, are unlikely to be more than a criminal-justice blip.

17.   Amnesty International USA, which staunchly opposes all executions, also is calling for an immediate moratorium on federal executions.

18.   Bush and Ashcroft, during their news conference, said they saw no grounds for a moratorium on federal executions.

19.   But he can stop the clock on federal executions, at least, while a more intensive review is completed.

20.   But Clinton did not address calls to halt federal executions.