The declaration could yet help solidify support for negotiations.
Mr. Ashcroft, though often criticized by liberal and conservative policy-makers, is seeking to solidify support for the law.
They say lavish spending on social programs and the opposition's inability to articulate a message have solidified support for him.
The choice of Mr. Edwards did help solidify support for the ticket among the many voters who said they were inclined to vote Democratic but considered Mr. Kerry, a Yale-educated senator from Massachusetts, too liberal and aristocratic.
It is also possible that supporters of Mr. Bo, like Mr. Zhou, will demand that the United States hand Mr. Chen back to China, a stance that could solidify support for the hard-line faction, the diplomats said.
A13 House Set for Patriot Act Vote After months of political maneuvering, the House is set to open debate on the future of the sweeping anti-terrorism law known as the USA Patriot Act, as the Bush administration pushed to solidify support for the law and Democrats sought to impose new restrictions.
Hu Jintao and Hu Yaobang, who are not related, both considered the Communist Youth League, an important body within the ruling apparatus, to be their power base, and the move was seen as an attempt by the president to solidify support for his leadership.
Democrats, who hope to hold onto their 51-47 advantage in the 100-seat Senate, are pouring money into heavily Democratic Connecticut to solidify support for Murphy.
Kiswani stressed that her organization was at mosques to solidify support for the action among the Palestinian solidarity community, but also passed out flyers on Bay Area street corners to reach beyond the traditional audience.
