1.   Niki had a big cushion on the third-place car, eased off and placed second.

2.   Luckily for Dotel, he had a big cushion to work with.

3.   Other government and private grants for her archiving have given her a big cushion.

4.   You come into the game like George W. Bush with a big fat financial cushion and slurp, it vanishes.

5.   The booming economy and swelling tax revenues give Clinton and Republicans a big cushion for any tax reductions or spending increases.

6.   Sorenstam said her big cushion gave her room to enjoy herself.