Indeed, the EU has played a robust role in the past year defending democratic institutions against authoritarian governments in Hungary and Romania.

WSJ: Nobel Prize for EU an Inspired Decision

So it is our belief that it is both appropriate and necessary for us to play, again, with allies a robust role at the front-end of this.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

Schumer now appears to be going public with his private push for a more robust federal role in any co-op proposal -- to plant the flag on what most Democrats are willing to accept in any bipartisan compromise that involves health care cooperatives instead of a government-run insurance option.

CNN: Negotiations over health insurance co-ops at impasse

Prime Minister Putin was also characteristically direct and painted a robust view of the role that Russia plans to play in the medium-term governance of the global economy, building on their resource strength and technology innovation.

FORBES: Guest Blogger: Mark Foster From Accenture, Day 2

Probably of more significance in this report is the criticism of the FSA itself, helped to a robust assessment of its role by two independent reviewers of the review - an eminent banker and an eminent finance lawyer, appointed last May.

BBC: Abdication at the Royal Bank

Given the enormous debt as a backdrop, the most recent jobs report, where only 88, 000 new jobs were added, and the seemingly unending political grind over the issue of the role of government, a robust economy may not be a near-term event.

FORBES: Federal Reserve Beige Book: The State Of The U.S. Economy

Part of the answer to the current SME funding crunch may lie in a greater role for equity finance and increased consolidation to create more robust, credit-worthy companies.

WSJ: Rock Star Draghi Needs a New Song for Europe

No one should accept feminists in the role of taste police, at least until they set up a robust internal affairs division.

WSJ: Best of the Web Today: Revenge of the Nerds

The role of new business directors will be critical to agency success in what is likely to be a more robust environment of agency pitches.

FORBES: Some Surprising Findings About What It Takes To Win New Business Pitches