Mr. Havel was reported to have been impressed then with the general's political prudence and military efficiency.

Some say it's a matter of political prudence (e.g. "The alternative to a safety net is a revolution").

The F.T.C. recommended tightening enforcement of ratings curbs, a step that the industry should consider as a matter of civic responsibility and political prudence.

And some women question the political prudence of "sociosexual vigilantism."

But political prudence and intellectual honesty require full public disclosure of the limitations of this or any other system.

Those leaders who are in touch with their own limitations often display a political prudence that matches their personal humility.

(Hillary Clinton decided that the better part of political prudence was to stay in New York working her own crowds.)

So in all likelihood, House Speaker Newt Gingrich sees himself as choosing the path of political prudence in shying from a subject his party fears.

Now comes this anthology of Aron's writings with an introduction by the historian Tony Judt, who hails Aron's "political prudence" and his "disenchanted realism."

As has so often been the case in the Clinton administration, the thirst for campaign money and other donations seems to be overriding both good manners and political prudence.