To that end, Thursday's hearing is being treated by some activists as a combination of election night and Super Bowl.
Both noncommissioned and commissioned officers were chosen by a combination of election and appointment, in which seniority received some consideration, but demonstrated talent on the battlefield brought the most rapid promotion.
The bill is a sweeping combination of election, campaign finance and ethics reforms designed to make voting easier, curb the power of big donors and reduce conflicts of interest in all three branches of government.
In a state where the budget woes have, by some estimates, grown more dire than even those in California, it seems that months of inaction might at last be overtaken by some combination of timing (elections are far away) and fear (the state's national reputation and bond ratings seem to be sinking as fast as its debts are mounting).
The truth is that nobody knows for sure.In recent weeks the combination of an election campaign in America with the lack of progress in Iraq has for the first time produced a vigorous, open debate about strategic alternatives.
I blame this Colorado confusion on a combination of the election season's overall irrationality, coupled with all the crazy, cursed statuary at the Denver airport.
The combination of relatively free elections and predetermined outcomes proved unsustainable in Taiwan, just as democrats hope it will in Hong Kong.
The combination of his re-election and the fiscal cliff has forced the Republicans to show some flexibility on increasing the tax take.
Then we were in budget hearings until 11 or 12 midnight, and finally the dust clears and you look up at 'well I'm running and it's July already.' " But some public policy experts argue that the early hubbub, in part a result of the potent combination of a fast election cycle and campaign finance reform, is actually a good thing.
But a combination of circumstances, including recent elections in Iran, have changed the diplomatic climate, and some observers contend that Netanyahu has been slow to adapt.
