It was kicked off last June by President Nicolas Sarkozy, who announced in a major speech that the face veil, which he called a burqa, was against French values and not welcome in France.

VOA: standard.2010.01.30

"I think there are many who realize that constantly imposing demands on the Iranians which they either have no intention or the capacity to fulfill for domestic political reasons has not gotten us very far over the last three or four years,".

VOA: standard.2009.10.19

"We need leaders who are committed to moving New Jersey forward, (Applause) and that is John Corzine, which is why you need to work hard on Tuesday!" A Republican sweep will be seen by some as a rejection of President Obama's policies and could embolden Republican efforts to win congressional seats in 2010.

VOA: standard.2009.11.02