1.   And Sharon began reaching out to recruit former Likud members like Dan Meridor and Roni Milo, who deserted the party because of distaste for Netanyahu.

2.   After a long discourse on the ins and outs of his vote, Torricelli drops a hint that when it matters, he will not desert his party.

3.   But this ignored the long-apparent fact that so many Democrats were prepared to desert their party over the ban on assault weapons and the death penalty.

4.   Disgusted voters deserted the party in droves.

5.   Former President Gerald Ford weighed in for Ridge, scoffing at the idea that abortion foes would desert the party.

6.   No doubt Bush will hear warnings that anti-abortion forces could desert the party and even disrupt the convention if he defies them.

7.   Party officials say its longtime supporters deserted the party at the polls because it had abandoned its principles by entering into the coalition with the Liberal Democrats.

8.   Scores of Democrats deserted the party and joined Republicans to vote against the tax bill written by the House minority leader, Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri.

9.   Scores of leaders have deserted the party, and many Mexicans wonder if it can survive in a competitive atmosphere.

10.   The proposal was aimed squarely at displaced blue-collar workers and, more pointedly, at the suburbanites with children who deserted his party in droves last month.