He had moved into that spotlight politicians on the rise occupy where every public moment is a performance.

"Yes, I've had a few public moments at private parties."

"I should have chosen a less public moment," he said.

But by focusing attention on the moral dimension he caused a rare public moment of truth.

In this instance, his guests were implicated; whether they would return to the show became an issue of public moment.

That heart took one long, public moment to express love for a woman.

But Collins showed little satisfaction today, at least in this public moment.

It was the public moment when some in the campaign said they felt the curtain coming down.

Only after dealing - or not - with those issues of public moment did the stars head off to party their hearts out.

The public moment was important in the American bishops' effort to recover trust and credibility.