Democrats have been leery of the commission, saying it would simply ratify budget cuts proposed by President Bush.

"You are simply ratifying what has already happened in the marketplace," he said.

It must do more than simply ratify the decisions being made in Baghdad by American administrators or their Iraqi appointees.

They simply ratify existing academic turf lines by saying that students must take something from everyone.

Laws regulating elections were also passed; in fact, however, voters simply ratified choices previously made by church leaders.

The jury simply ratified the right of a person to defend himself against a perceived threat when he can rely on no official agency for protection.

In part, the new relationship would simply ratify the much larger role the conservancy is already playing.

The general election simply ratified what had already been decided in the Democratic Party primary.

The critics contend that in a one-party city the voters simply ratify the choices of the leaders of the majority party.

The United States is not going to ratify simply because we asked it to.