1.  Among those was his willingness, demonstrated at key moments in his political career, to take an independent stand, even at risk to his own career.

2.  Its ownership by Prince Khalid has meant that the paper treads softly when it comes to disquieting news about Saudi Arabia, a notable exception to its independent stand.

3.  Madison-area Reps. Scott Klug and Mark Neumann have both antagonized the House leadership with their independent stands.

4.  One freshman Republican lawmaker took a more independent stand.

5.  While criticism of him has mounted in some quarters, there are other Indonesians who admire his independent stand in the face of what they see as international pressure.

6.  For years, Nicolae Ceausescu was considered a maverick in the West because of his independent stand from Moscow and was toasted in Washington, London and Paris.

7.  But he also sinned in US eyes by taking an independent stand on issues such as Iraq and the Middle East.