The merest suspicion that they are going soft on the war, or are trying to use it for partisan advantage, would be grist for Mr DeLay's mill.

ECONOMIST: The Democrats

Hard or soft, commodities have fuelled desire, greed and war since the days of Pharaoh.

FORBES: Previous Post

In his first, he told weary Britons that even New York was a war casualty, driven to burning filthy soft coal and hoarding butter.

ECONOMIST: Alistair Cooke

And the shift has occurred from public power to private power, from political power to economic power, from hard power to soft power, with the end of the Cold War as the turning point.

FORBES: The Power of American "Soft Power"

As foreign minister, Mr Steinmeier has proved soft on Russia, and his party is turning against the war in Afghanistan.

ECONOMIST: Germany's uninspiring election

India extends large, soft loans to curry favour with a friendly regime in Bangladesh and is paying for post-war reconstruction in Sri Lanka.

ECONOMIST: Big developing countries are shaking up the world of aid

EU. North Korea may have a soft spot for Sweden, which was one of the few countries to keep up diplomatic ties during the cold war.

ECONOMIST: Europe discovers North Korea | The