There was talk of fratricide, and comparisons were made with Cain and Abel.
Mr de Villepin's government is perilously perched: vulnerable to fratricide from within, exposed to discontent from without.
Though Democrats are less prone to fratricide than Republicans, Mrs Warren's willingness to take on members of her own party adds to her charm.
And just as the national party seems to be lapsing into fratricide, so a vicious internal war has broken out over the governorship.
It is a phenomenon known to military theorists as the "fratricide" problem and to everybody else as a double-edged sword.
But it can be hard to tell when a feisty primary is in danger of turning voters off all the candidates, to the benefit of the other side.In this section A hard homecoming Shovel ready How to grab them Flirting with fratricide ReprintsThis is a danger Mr Gingrich in particular has talked about from the start.
The history of second-term presidencies is hardly auspicious, and there is a clear danger of social conservatives alienating more middle-of-the-road voters: look at the way that fratricide and extremism are eroding the Republicans' grip on Colorado.
Also, jamming sometimes wrecks a security force's own communications, a predicament known as "electronic fratricide".Switching tactics again, the bombmakers reverted to simple triggers that avoid signals altogether.
Thus in 2004 admirers of George W. Bush spent millions to depict his Democratic opponent, John Kerry, as a cowardly subversive and fatally damaged him.In this section The hands that prod, the wallets that feed A useful trim Building a bigger tent Back to the chocolate cake The Chicago way Tending their gardens The Floridian school of thought Republican fratricide ReprintsWas this legal?
In three years as leader of a left-wing coalition government, "cohabiting" with President Chirac, Mr Jospin has cultivated an image of integrity all too rare in French politics; his pragmatism, rather than his rhetoric, has given France its healthiest economy for decades; and his political skills have kept the left united while the right seems intent on fratricide.
Rather than explain Byzantium's brave elitism, he offers a vivid compendium of flayings, fratricide and sexual intrigue.
