He describes Alex Salmond's leadership as "a high-wire act" involving big predictions, most of which have come off.

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But for Mr Aso, Mr Kingston says, the incident has swiftly turned into a high-wire act in which he must reassure Japan's neighbours without destroying his own conservative base.

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But it still feels like a high-wire act.

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Integrated into the already distinctive nature of the Krug style--all base wines fermented in small oak casks, the finished wines aging for at least six years before release--it creates champagne as high-wire-act, a balanced tension between a dry, taut crispness and a mellow, juicy, full-flavored fruitiness.

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In other words, Ewanick fell to earth to a great degree because he failed to perform well enough in the high-wire act that he created.

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