The reason for this striking disparity is political timidity.

Writing in the New York Review of Books , Mark Danner has argued that the administration's predilection for tough talk, coupled with its political timidity, did much to make matters worse in Bosnia.

At a time when Japanese voters and world markets demand bold action against recession, Japan's largest party yesterday chose a man with an unbroken 35-year record of political timidity as the country's almost certain next prime minister.

The political timidity of potential opponents was woeful.

"The record before this court reveals a history of political and bureaucratic timidity mixed with well-intentioned blundering in dealing with two of the most charged and significant issues of our time: AIDS and abortion."

The deliberate slowness and political timidity of the Supreme Court in dismantling desegregation allowed a racist backlash to fester, he said, making "all deliberate speed" a mockery.

The Governor told party members to shed their "political timidity."

The true cost of this political timidity is borne by the victims of the 68 percent of young, court-released prisoners who commit new offenses within three years.

In a bleak season of economic collapse and political timidity, the killing can only heighten fears that Russia is slipping into an ugly era of intolerance and political violence.

But political timidity and exaggerated savings estimates may doom the market to failure.