"I think the last few weeks, apart from the Falkirk game, we have shown a bit of form and commitment, " added the Scotland midfielder.

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They have managed to package a small deployment of German soldiers to a safe(ish) bit of Afghanistan as a major new commitment to the country.

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But because this was a good and thus fair speech on the issue of peace, the president likely also made Abbas a bit uneasy with the forcefulness of his commitment to Israel's existence as a Jewish state, a commitment that cuts directly to an issue on which even the most constructive members of the Palestinian leadership have been reluctant to show flexibility.

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"They've put themselves into a bit of a box" with an unwavering commitment to debt reduction, he added.

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Even some of the academics that he was hoping to bring in were also a bit wary of his reputation and were being cautious in their commitment to the project.

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By 7AM tomorrow they'll have spent 24 hours in the elements -- quite a lot of commitment for a phone, but hey, that video recording bit is pretty neat, and male bonding is forever.

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