That revelation may have been intended to support Mr. Ashcroft's mean-spirited attack on librarians, whom he charged with being caught up in "baseless hysteria."

Indeed, the most important portrait of him that existed at the time was Aristophanes' mean-spirited attack in "The Clouds."

"This bill is the most radical and mean-spirited attack against the poor that I have witnessed during my service in Government," Mr. Rangel said.

Maestas said that he was "amazed at the extraordinary, mean-spirited attack on the organization, and me in particular" (Gorlick, 1998, B-2).

Unfortunately, Mr. Cheney surprised his audience by launching into a mean-spirited attack on John Kerry instead.

She hadn't seen Breyguhn since the northern winter and that mean-spirited attack in the skidder rink.

Mr. Ashcroft's unscrupulous, mean-spirited attack succeeded in derailing the nomination of a fine judge.

So now we have the beginnings of a retreat from yet another gratuitous and mean-spirited attack on the poor.

The left-hander's performance has left him embarrassed, and provoked more than one mean-spirited attack from Green.

It was a rare moment of civility in a campaign marked by mean-spirited personal attacks.