The Administration, caught in the middle, is scrambling to avoid a confrontation just as President Jiang Zemin arrives for a weeklong tour of America, starting on Sunday.

Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican who voted against Mr. Hyde's amendment, said, "I think the Administration was scrambling during that last day or two."

With no letup today in street protests in Beijing against the United States, the Administration scrambled to try and persuade the Chinese that it regretted the loss of lives.

At 5:55 A.M. today, during a week in which the Administration is scrambling to dispel the notion that it is drifting aimlessly, President Bush took his wife to look at the cherry blossoms.

And he can watch the Administration, which supports it, scramble to get money restored in the Senate.

The Administration scrambled today to present a united front on the deadly end of the cult standoff.

The Administration scrambled to contain the politcal damage.

So the Administration has been scrambling for ways to make the bitter pill more palatable to the military - and to its supporters in Congress.

The House as a whole blocked the bill, 225-210, from coming to the floor and the Administration has been scrambling ever since to win over eight votes without losing others.

The Administration is scrambling to flesh out its proposals in time for a Thursday hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee.