And he's widely seen as more confrontational than Clement, so the White House apparently thinks that this temporary appointment will spur the Democrats into moving more quickly on Mukasey.

NPR: White House Took Care in Vetting Mukasey

So the answer was not strident or confrontational, but an attempt to sound unthreatening, a little humble even.

BBC: 'A lot to be done': Hu tackles human rights

Conference season is traditionally the time for union leaders to make speeches full of confrontational rhetoric aimed at pleasing their delegates - so there is bound to be plenty of that.

BBC: By Nick Assinder