Mr. Hun Sen, Western diplomats say, has consistently defied international attempts at mediation and given few indications that he will allow free and fair elections.

Like President Obama has said, according to USA Today, Souter has "consistently defied labels and rejected absolutes."

The fashion house has consistently defied gloom-mongers during the consumer downturn, proving that as much as any consumer company can be immune from the global economic woes, it is.

Since then, though, Padre Island has consistently defied all-or-nothing arguments about land use, whether from outraged environmentalists or hard-line advocates of energy exploration.

There is a continuum at work, a comedy continuum that has consistently defied the sell-by date that eventually undoes even the hugest television hits.

But General Dostum has consistently defied expectations.

From the outset, Ms. O'Connor has consistently defied the operative stereotypes: she shaved her hair, displayed open contempt for media and public-relations people, and took unpopular political stances.

Such giving "is a well-embedded tradition" that has consistently defied fluctuations in the economy and the stock market, said Priscilla Lewis, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit council.

Last month he invited editors and reporters from anti-apartheid publications that have consistently defied the press laws to his Soweto home.

Opera has consistently defied expectations about what a browser (and browser company) can accomplish.