But as Tocqueville so closely observed, a people like ours at a time like ours are ruled by a justifiable taste for vague and general ideas.

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Most resolutions are general, vague, and unrealistic.

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Rangers president and general manager Glen Sather was vague when pressed for reasons why Tortorella was let go.

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Another trick, he said, is to offer very vague information initially, and then after the case is solved, "retrofit" the general predictions to accommodate the facts.

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