1.   Although Parcells tried to defuse the issue, it kept coming back to haunt him.

2.   A prosecutor, Ellen M. Corcella, while trying to defuse the issue of whether DeVecchio improperly aided Scarpa, acknowledged that Scarpa may have compromised the agent.

3.   A single horror story that attracts a burst of media attention has often prompted privacy legislation, though the affected industry usually scrambles to defuse the issue.

4.   Bronfman said he fears the February report represents a half-measure by the Swiss banks to defuse the issue.

5.   But even Dick Morris, the political consultant, was unable to offer any advice about how to defuse an issue he considers politically lethal.

6.   But Terry said his organization was able to quickly defuse the issue.

7.   Clinton, who vetoed a Republican-backed welfare bill earlier this year, is trying to defuse the issue.

8.   Evidently seeking to defuse the issue, however, these leaders have begun speaking with unaccustomed moderation.

9.   Having already staked out an accommodating stance on African nations buying cheaper AIDS drugs, Zoellick worked quickly to defuse the issue.

10.   Goodling provided a textbook example of how incumbents can defuse the issue.