Yesterday, Officer Robinson's lawyer once again attacked Mr. Bratton's early contention that the incident involved "two good cops doing their jobs."

It proved Clyde Burke's earlier contention, that Flasher could not have murdered Mike Largo in New York.

The report undercut earlier contentions by military officials and the Bush administration that a handful of renegade military police guards were largely to blame.

They also backed away from earlier contentions that his address today would be a major foreign policy speech.

Now, New Jersey welfare officials are themselves backing away from their earlier contentions, saying it may be too soon to prove any effects on childbearing.

In a letter today, Mr. Tellep repeated his earlier contention that Mr. Simmons and his proposals were disruptive and intended to benefit only himself.

After two earlier unsuccessful rides when he kept his mounts impossibly far back on a very speed-favoring track, Shoemaker this time had hustled Beau Genius into early contention.

He has been looking for a season like this ever since: good hitting, early contention.

Bush has said that he had missed key meetings involving the arms transactions, but repeated an earlier contention that "I expressed reservations" about the sales.

I disagreed with her earlier contention.