Increasingly, ministers behave as if the Lords were a nuisance to be trampled on rather than a check to be respected.

ECONOMIST: Welfare reform

Mr Bush came from the respected ranks of Republican governors rather than the despised ranks of Washington insiders.

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The resurrection of the Shia clergy in Iraq, the traditional wellspring of Shia teaching, has lately reinforced this trend, with many of its respected scholars professing political quietism rather than Islamic revolution.

ECONOMIST: Hizbullah and Israel

Rather than being dissed as a taciturn intellectual, he can be respected as reticent, self-controlled Plainsman, a Gary Cooper, if you will.

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But the awkward part is that Mr Clinton is respected, and in some quarters admired, because he is seen as a warrior, rather than a peace-maker.

ECONOMIST: Clinton props up the old world | The

Houses tend to be passed through families rather than sold, rice fields are shared with those who need them the most, the religions of others are respected, and it's a matter of deep-held belief that visitors should be greeted with warmth.

BBC: High spirits in Bali