1.   But it is House Speaker Newt Gingrich, after consulting a pollster about which words were most harmful, who escalated partisan rhetoric to a conspicuously intolerable level.

2.   Meanwhile, as the U.S. hastens to re-establish military cooperation, Beijing has escalated its rhetoric over a minor naval surveillance incident earlier this year.

3.   Then they invest in politicians, fund institutes, escalate rhetoric until what they say bears little relation to the truth.

4.   It escalated his rhetoric from characterizing Democrats as an embittered minority to accusing them of abusing the ethics process.

5.   Sharon and his Cabinet ministers have escalated their rhetoric in recent days, holding Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and his security forces directly responsible for attacks.

6.   Such a move would have escalated the rhetoric and made reconciliation even harder.

7.   Unfortunately, media questioning of unsound strategies is often countered by escalating government rhetoric about the scale of the threat and the need for a massive response.