21.   Arafat, his future as the first Palestinian president hanging in the balance, struggled bravely to put the best face on the day.

22.   As first president of the Fifth Republic, de Gaulle made the bald, bespectacled Foccart, who was rarely seen in public, one of his closest aides.

23.   As the first post-Cold War president, Clinton has had difficulty finding a theme to sum up his approach to the world.

24.   As Philander D. Chase, editor in chief of the Papers of George Washington, watches Americans unite behind President Bush, his thoughts turn to the first president.

25.   As the first president to decertify Colombia, Clinton scored points with Congress.

26.   As the first American president to address the Jordanian body, Clinton used his address to issue strong pledges of support for the country and its quest for peace.

27.   As the first female president of the National Rifle Association, Marion Hammer, a chain-smoking grandmother, vows an unending fight for gun rights.

28.   As the first president of the four-year-old California Olive Oil Council she wanted to make sure that California oil would have integrity.

29.   At best, Bush could emerge as the first Republican president since Dwight Eisenhower to have GOP majorities in both branches of Congress.