1.   Although several Cabinet nominees already have cleared the Senate, Sen.

2.   And it is partly because of the way in which cabinet nominees are approved.

3.   Previous hearings have also been bitter, but those concerning cabinet nominees have concentrated on personal matters.

4.   Assistant Senate historian Don Richey said Cabinet nominees rarely encounter trouble if the confirmation struggle is confined to ideological disputes.

5.   A filibuster of a Cabinet nominee would be unprecedented.

6.   Bush also indicated that he would announce his first Cabinet nominee on Saturday at a school in Crawford, where he has a weekend ranch.

7.   But in most cases policy differences do not, by themselves, defeat cabinet nominees.

8.   Chavez was one of three Cabinet nominees who have aroused the ire of liberal interest groups.

9.   Environmentalists have also criticized other Cabinet nominees.