Historically, construction and starts have been highly sensitive to weather conditions during the winter months.

We've seen a lot of significant evidence lately that the global economy is picking up, particularly in export orders. There's a lot of evidence coming in that things overseas look good.

They made the approach here. They tried to get in. But the weather (conditions) were below minimum.

This spring has been great for Kmart and other retailers. Hopefully, the consumer will continue to come out, the weather will continue to remain warm and we will go right into summer without missing a step.

This is an issue that should be raised often because it is a central preoccupation of very large numbers of Americans and because people now look at the Republican program, the Bush program, as being a disaster.

[For both, it's a way to woo a public increasingly skeptical of sweeping pronouncements or simple solutions.] We are in an era when specificity is a sign of credibility, ... Do the numbers add up? Do the proposals work? There have to be enough details to satisfy [critics] that it's real and it's sensible.