21.   But by the time of his arrest, his media empire had become a rare, if not the last, center of resistance to the Putin political machine.

22.   But he never had time to piece together a well-oiled political machine to ensure that voters such as Shull actually go to the caucuses and back him.

23.   But Conkling was a one-man army when defending his political machine.

24.   But it also re-energized the political machine of Guy Molinari, the Staten Island borough president, who referred to Fossella as his son.

25.   But political machines are hard to build in a state where one in six voters is a registered independent and a third of voters claim no strong political affiliation.

26.   But political analysts said Morales would face stiff competition in the South Texas race from popular local elected officials with established political machines.

27.   But Ramirez has demonstrated that whatever cogs of a political machine remain in the Bronx, he commands them with a measure of control.

28.   But there is also a more subtle story about the creation of a political machine.