"Promises don't mean anything, " admits Rathmann.

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Promises made by the BDA (notice I don't say Sony) and promises made by all the supporting companies.

ENGADGET: blogger-avatar

The agency also has stepped up enforcement of companies that don't honor privacy promises.

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"I made a promise to my dad on his deathbed - to get the land back - and I don't break my promises, " he says.

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The FTC can then use its authority to prosecute "deceptive" behavior if companies that agree to the guidelines don't live up to their promises.

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"The American people don't want any more false promises of progress, they deserve a real debate about a war that has overstretched our military and cost us thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars without making us safer, " he added.

CNN: McCain targets Obama for not going to Iraq

He's telling voters, whatever you do don't look back at all those promises I made.

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They say they don't trust politicians to keep their promises, so why bother.

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Mr Obama promises subsidies to make coverage nearly universal and to tax big firms that don't cover their employees.

ECONOMIST: Business-minded voters have doubts about both candidates

If that is correct, 83% of those who do not pay income tax don't really fit Mr Romney's characterisation, except in so far as his argument is that people who don't pay income tax aren't impressed by promises of income tax cuts.

BBC: Mitt Romney scorns Obama voters

We don't have the street now, because we're still talking about promises.

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