But the issue that proved to be the most divisive topic at last year's synod – that of gay Catholics and same-sex unions – received little attention this year.
The issue that proved the breaking point in Cancún - Europe's demand for new negotiations on a wide range of issues including global investment and competition rules - has been quietly shelved by Brussels.
A Gore adviser said of the Bush strategists of 1988: "One of the critical insights they had, when they dissected Dukakis in '88, was that it was no one single issue that proved decisive.
But what the Giant players do or do not do is not so important as the real issue - that proven players should not be earning less than unproven rookies, no matter how highly touted the rookies are.
He then held several meetings with Mayor John D. Spencer, who had forced out the last superintendent, and lawyers from the N.A.A.C.P. to talk about settling the district's long-standing desegregation lawsuit -- an issue that proved to be the undoing of former Superintendent Andre J. Hornsby, who refused to settle.
Another issue that proved to be problematic was the large amount of continuing NHS R&D funding provided to meet the NHS costs of hosting research supported by eligible external funders, such as the MRC and Wellcome Trust.
The issue that proved controversial at the session was whether ventilation should be provided at all, with speaker Gordon Ewy (Tucson, AZ, USA) proposing a compression-only algorithm to address what he saw as two main problems: rescuer hesitance to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and the fact that 'two quick breaths is an oxymoron – it can't be done'.
It is not only delicate issues that prove uncomfortable.
For another, Mr. Schwarzenegger and Mr. Bush, although members of the same party, hold sharply different views on issues that prove critical with big groups of voters here.
Within days, it was lining up investors for two convertible bond issues that proved to be an overwhelming success, growing to $4.5 billion from an initially announced $3.25 billion.
