That underscored the difficult balancing act American policy makers confront whenever dealing with Iran on the issue of terrorism.

But higher courts quickly upheld Judge Hoeveler, saying it was up to him to "conduct the difficult balancing of constitutional rights required in these circumstances."

"It's a little difficult balancing when you run backward," he said.

America's friends see a difficult balancing act ahead.

This requires a difficult balancing of the need to articulate clear answers and the little-founded fears.

The current occupant, Ari Fleischer, has a particularly difficult balancing act these days.

It is a difficult balancing act that not every Secretary General has executed successfully.

That is a difficult balancing act that neither the Americans nor the Europeans were prepared to discuss in detail.

Mr. Fleischer, 41, has a particularly difficult balancing act these days.

Bowles managed to achieve this extraordinarily difficult balancing act throughout his association with the magazine.