Notice that twice now Mr. Obama has invoked "individual ambition, " and not as a virtue.

WSJ: Pilon: Graduates, Your Ambition Is the Problem

Now Mr. Cook is placing some big bets on a new group of executives.

WSJ: Apple Shake-Up Signals Tim Cook Era

Now Mr Davis has received several nominations to become one of the 8, 000 Olympic torch bearers.

BBC: Olympic torch bid for man who climbed wrong mountain

Witness the success of that salesman par excellence, Mr Berlusconi, now Mr Amato's chief foe.

ECONOMIST: Giuliano Amato, Italy��s agile stopgap

Now Mr Yanukovich will be able to reduce his budget deficit without risking his support.

ECONOMIST: Ukraine and Russia

Now Mr Schily is going further, if not as far as he might have wished.

ECONOMIST: Security in Germany

And now Mr Spielberg seems to have shown them that he can do all this too.

ECONOMIST: How well Mr Spielberg wears a suit

Now Mr Bush must use the Republican convention to drive down that 53% figure.

ECONOMIST: How well did John Kerry do?

Now Mr Khatami and his supporters are on a roll, able to override crude sniping.

ECONOMIST: The Iranian opportunity

Now Mr Estrada is threatening to have Mr Gordon charged with sedition and treason.

ECONOMIST: The Philippines

Now Mr Robinson has replaced self-pity and openness with defiance and (by his standards) secrecy.

ECONOMIST: Jack E., oh

Now Mr Pujol says he will delay it while he negotiates with Hollywood's honchos.

ECONOMIST: Catalans versus Hollywood

Now Mr Speight accuses the generals of hijacking his coup, and taking power for themselves.

ECONOMIST: Fiji

Now Mr De and other officials promise that Hulunbuir is ready to take off.

ECONOMIST: The good and bad of one of China��s border regions

Now Mr Bush has gone further, saying America believes the Syrians have chemical weapons.

ECONOMIST: A new world order | The

Now Mr Stein is seeking planning permission to demolish the building and start again on the site.

BBC: NEWS | UK | England | Cornwall | Stein's hotel plans go on show

Now Mr O'Malley, assuming he wins election in November, faces an even longer shot: cleaning up Baltimore.

ECONOMIST: Baltimore��s election

Now Mr Mack will have to prove that he is, in fact, the better man for the job.

ECONOMIST: Return of the Mack | The

Now Mr McCain is turning against those Republicans who want to use race to appeal to white voters.

ECONOMIST: John McCain heads south

Now Mr Bernstein has returned to the fray with a new volume in defence of his academic heroes.

ECONOMIST: Investment management

Now Mr Hussein presides over plays staged in the neighbouring theatre that was built by Alexander the Great.

ECONOMIST: Monumental

Now Mr Neale is expected to face dozens of litigation claims from women both in Britain and Canada.

BBC: Neale was struck off in 2000

But now Mr Kohl has unboxed everything with his early announcement that he will run again for chancellor.

ECONOMIST: The man to beat Kohl? | The

Now Mr Hain's remarks suggest there may be political limits to covert increases in income tax through fiscal drag.

ECONOMIST: Peter Hain touched a sensitive spot

Now Mr Lebed is trying to make a comeback, as governor of Krasnoyarsk.

BBC: Russia's other vote

Chris, now Mr. de los Santos issue is another facet of this crisis.

NPR: Freddie Mac Good For Business, Bad For Homeowners?

Now Mr Walsh of International Maritime Incorporated in California wants to dive again.

BBC: Voyage to the 'real' North Pole

Now Mr Carey's fall may deprive Mr Sweeney of the Teamsters' support, in turn weakening his clout in Washington.

ECONOMIST: The rising, falling trade unions

Now Mr Albanese is turning to Chinalco to help him with those, too.

ECONOMIST: Face value

Mr Jarquin is now Mr Ortega's running-mate, even though in the 1980s he was also jailed by the Sandinists.

ECONOMIST: Could the Sandinist leader return to the presidency?