Some Liberal Democrats say that if the fees are not abolished, their party will have no choice but to save face by quitting Mr Dewar's coalition and forcing Labour to govern as a minority, as it already does in Wales.

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But it does allow Mr Karzai to save face.

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There was no doubt about the intended target of his comments, but they were phrased ambiguously enough to save Mr Thaksin's face.

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But all three batters to face Rivera (0-1) got hits, handing him the first blown save of his farewell season after he had converted 18 straight chances.

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But neither that, nor Mr Cardoso's public support, was enough to save Mr Mendonca de Barros in the face of criticism from prominent political leaders in the government coalition and from the press.

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