As the delegates and alternates started West, two issues preoccupied them: the choice of a running mate for Mr. Dole and the abortion plank in the Republican platform.

Big-picture issues can preoccupy the currency markets.

This issue preoccupied him for the next two years, gradually shading into arguments about working conditions more generally.

Urgent issues - drug abuse, automobile insurance reform, property tax relief, environmental and shore protection - preoccupy the voters and candidates.

Even if no answer is found, experts say, the issue could preoccupy Germany's art scene for years to come.

He seemed interested in playing down how much those issues of alienation preoccupy his peers.

The fact that the Palestinian issue preoccupies Arabs was reflected in the coverage of the suicide bombings in Baghdad and Jerusalem, which happened within hours of each other.

Mr President, this is not the first time the issue of legal bases has preoccupied the European Parliament and the European Union's institutions more generally.

It's democratic and so you get a much better reflection of what's going on in the world and what issues are preoccupying performers.