Mr. Ahmadinejad's tone flip-flopped during the speech, appearing at times deliberately provocative and other times soft and eager to begin negotiations.

WSJ: U.S. Walks Out on Ahmadinejad U.N. Speech

And my question is, do you think that the tone, the -- at the Tucson speech he talked about civility and the idea that you can discuss your disagreements without anger and without this sort of poison that has marked so much in Washington.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

Despite this, the self-assured tone of Mr Brown's speech to Parliament is understandable.

ECONOMIST: Not so rosy | The

Mr Cameron struck a self-consciously upbeat tone during much of the speech as he invoked what he called "the British spirit".

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Mervyn King's speech in Liverpool on Tuesday night was noteworthy for its gloomy tone - and, perhaps most of all, for what he didn't say.

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For the Welsh Liberal Democrats Peter Black said that he regretted the tone of parts of Janet Finch Saunders' speech, which he said was based on "half-truths".

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