Several other challengers, such as Itamar Franco, Mr Cardoso's quirky predecessor, and Ciro Gomes, a soft-left former state governor, seem to be fading.

ECONOMIST: Politics in Brazil

In its complaint, CREW also charged that the state GOP encouraged the Oregon Family Council to make the phone calls, which it said amounted to "illegally conspiring" with an outside group to evade a ban on state parties using soft money to send out public communications.

CNN: Group:?Bush allies illegally helping Nader in Oregon

Do state attorneys general have a soft spot for big business?

FORBES: Tobacco II? Big Banks Would Benefit From Mortgage Settlement

Soft paternalists argue that, without the power of the state behind such schemes, they will often break down: the sovereign consumer can always veto his own decisions.

ECONOMIST: Soft paternalism

The reform legislation still contains a controversial ban on so-called "soft money, " the money raised by national, state and local parties and purportedly used only for party-building and get-out-the-vote drives, rather than direct help for candidates.

CNN: Jump-Starting Finance Reform

When the sun is in this state, it also sends less energy out in the soft X-ray and extreme ultraviolet parts of its spectrum.

MSN: Earth's upper atmosphere cooling dramatically

The current regulatory state of affairs permits brokerage firms that do not have a real soft dollar expertise to prosper by facilitating abusive arrangements.

FORBES: Soft Dollar Zone: A Sensitive Area (January 1, 1997)