51.  As the investigation grew, the top officials at the FBI and CIA say they walked a fine line.

52.  As the Senate was dealing a blow to cigarette makers, top White House officials were engaged in a debate over how to approach the proposed nationwide tobacco accord.

53.  As land commissioner Dewhurst oversees Texas coasts and submerged lands and chairs the Coastal Coordination Council, a nine-member group of top state officials.

54.  Ashcroft and top Justice Department officials have repeatedly said that all of the detainees have been given access to legal counsel and their families.

55.  At least two former top CIA officials have compared the task to being like the Wizard of Oz, pulling levers and pressing buttons attached to nothing.

56.  At the time, she and top White House officials adamantly denied the accusations, and White House press secretary Michael McCurry repeated those denials Wednesday night.

57.  Attorney General Janet Reno ultimately decided not to seek an independent counsel, a decision that Republicans have criticized as showing favoritism toward top officials.

58.  Barrett is the third independent counsel appointed by the panel to investigate top officials in the Clinton administration.

59.  Barbour is one of the few top party officials to have made this switch.

60.  Beijing recently alarmed foreign investors when a top official seemed to slam the door on foreign investment in Internet companies.