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In dealing with Syria's dictator...only force counts. No cease-fire was attainable in Lebanon until the 16-inch guns of the battleship New Jersey started shelling Syria's proxies suddenly, sweet reason prevailed in Damascus.

William Safire

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William Safire
Age: 79 †
Born: 1929
Born: December 17
Died: 2009
Died: September 27
Author
Columnist
Journalist
Writer
New York City
New York
William Lewis Safire
Force
Dealing
Lebanon
War
Cease
Inch
Reason
Gun
Jersey
Shelling
Suddenly
Dictator
Battleship
Sweet
Counts
Damascus
Started
Inches
Prevailed
Fire
Syria
Proxy
Peace
Guns
Attainable

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Of higher value than any one leader is the cause.
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The most successful column is one that causes the reader to throw down the paper in a peak of fit.
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It behooves us to avoid archaisms. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.
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The perfect Christmas gift for a sportscaster, as all fans of sports clichés know, is a scoreless tie.
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The CEO era gave rise to the CFO (not certified flying object, as you might imagine, but chief financial officer) and, most recently, the CIO, chief investment officer, a nice boost for the bookkeeper you can't afford to give a raise . . .
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