31.   Democrats vehemently criticized the GOP tax cuts and were supporting an alternative tax package offered by Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Missouri.

32.   Democrats, however, paid no heed, and hammered away on their message of economic doom if the tax package is approved.

33.   Dole has also promised to pay for his tax package, without offering details.

34.   Democrats almost uniformly rejected the GOP-crafted tax package, drawing a clear party distinction on the issue.

35.   Democrats spent much of the Finance panel meeting disputing Republican claims that the tax package was targeted to middle-class Americans.

36.   Democrats will be even less inclined to vote against a tax package that has a chance of being signed into law.

37.   First in line is likely to be the proponents of the tax relief package passed early last year.

38.   For Bush, taking a hard line is a way to signal that he is serious about enacting the tax package he promised voters during the campaign.

39.   Foster acknowledges the difficulty he faces in selling the tax package, hoping he still has a reserve of popularity left from which to draw.

40.   Grafmeyer and others says the changes have a good chance of becoming law as part of the final tax package that lawmakers hope to complete this month.