Although Mr. Blair is a deft politician who has outlasted four Conservative leaders since taking power, there are signs that he might finally be wilting under the strain of these attacks.

Those who know the multilingual banker describe him as charming and say he is a pragmatic and deft politician.

Karzai is one gutsy, deft and appealing politician.

Faced with a difficult decision on who will play left field and when, Yankees Manager Joe Torre handled his choice like a deft politician.

A good Secretary General must combine the skills of a smooth diplomat, deft organizational politician and unsentimental budget cutter.

Today, a deft politician can use television to make a rapid rise through the ranks.

In a few short years, the Prodigal Son has become a popular politician, deft at working a room and skilled at domestic politics.

So far Mr. Hu has in many ways proved a deft politician, creating a populist image while continuing to nurture the needs of the economy.

For much of her life, she was a deft and sometimes polarizing politician and, after the Nationalists fled China, a spellbinding promoter for the party, who at times had a brutal reputation.

A deft politician, Mr. Freeh cultivated Republicans who controlled the agency's budget, increasing agency spending to more than $3.4 billion a year and hiring thousands of new agents and technical personnel.