Mr. Cheney's stern speech suggests that the Bush administration has set a course for military action against Iraq.

After Mr. Gorbachev's stern speech, however, liberal leaders seemed confident that the hard-liners would not succeed.

George W. Bush gives a stern speech addressing American accountancy scandals.

Again he held them back with a stern speech.

During our orientation, the college president gave a stern speech to all of us freshmen.

Instead, he gave a thoroughly grown-up, sometimes stern, sometimes passionate and sometimes even angry speech about health care, with a direct and forceful demeanor and few contrivances.

The centerpiece of Mr. Carter's visit was the polite but stern speech he delivered in Spanish on Tuesday night to a national television audience in Cuba.

Mr. Zedillo, visibly irritated, responded hours later with an unusually stern speech, vowing to "act with all necessary energy to defend the dignity and sovereignty of the Mexicans."

In Britain, Prime Minister Tony Blair gave a stern speech suggesting that a diplomatic solution was impossible in waging the new war on terror.

He has already charted the rhetorical foundations for such an effort with two stern and powerful speeches.