His first coaching job was in Harrisburg, Illinois in 1938, where he was the hand-picked choice to succeed Drake basketball star Bucky O'Connor.

Mrs. Gandhi's hand-picked choice for chief minister in Orissa, Giridhar Gamang, a tribal leader, proved highly unpopular.

All the Democrats who were disgusted at the thought of the Clintons and their hand-picked choice to head the party, Terry McAuliffe, dominating again in this decade are hugely relieved about that.

In 2004, Moore was challenged by Kathryn Hamrick, the hand-picked choice of the North Carolina Democratic Party.

After the Communists gave up power in 1989, Mr. Mazowiecki was the Solidarity chairman's hand-picked choice as Prime Minister.

Wicks and Bennett both withdrew in favour of Hansell who was the hand-picked choice of Alberta Social Credit leader and Premier Ernest Manning.

But complaining that Ms. Dunn is the leadership's "hand-picked" choice, Representative Jim Nussle of Iowa has mounted a challenge, lining up at least 50 mostly conservative backers.

Europe sees the new World Trade Organization as its strongest means to influence world trade policy, primarily because the managing director, Renato Ruggiero, was the European Union's hand-picked choice.

Mr. Gresser, a real estate developer and hand-picked choice of the Democratic organization, is likely to favor its need over the district's.

Recent Republican chairmen have been the hand-picked choices of the sitting President and have served, with varying degrees of success, as adjuncts to the White House political apparatus.