Mr. Putin has not publicly stated a position on the time issue, though the decision is his to make.
Mr. Silver has not publicly expressed a position on the matter, and he declined to do so on Wednesday.
Governor Cuomo and his office have yet to publicly state a position on the proposal, which easily passed the Assembly but has been held up in the Senate.
While Mr. Bush has not publicly articulated a position about the rule, his top economic advisers have said it is archaic and unnecessary.
First, it requires Republican politicians to commit themselves publicly to a position that is wrong — and wrong not as a matter of ideology or faith but as a matter of fact.
Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona, a Democrat whom Mr. Obama has chosen to head the Homeland Security Department, has not publicly taken a position on Mr. Chertoff's use of the waivers, a spokeswoman said.
Mr. Blankenhorn was ready to say that he really didn't know, although he did mention problems that might be created for religious groups that publicly declared a position that was seen as legally discriminatory.
The issue of al-Megrahi is sensitive enough for the regime that there may be repercussions for our interests here even if we remain neutral; there will almost certainly be consequences if we publicly take a position opposing his transfer.
"It is unfortunate that a person of his position and reputation should publicly take a position which displays either (1) strong criticism of his Government and compatriots, or (2) a remarkable ignorance concerning developments in Cuba since the first of the year".
See Fearon (1998, 57) ("For example, imagine a culture in which people feel tremendous shame, displeasure, and anger if they publicly advocate a position that is not in the end collectively chosen. In such a culture, public discussions would be a prescription for intense conflict").
