Gonzales's Hold on Job Slips Amid Furor Over Prosecutor Firings

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales's hold on his job is slipping after President George W. Bush, his chief benefactor, said he has some explaining to do and others, including a Republican senator, called for him to step down.
The political uproar over the Justice Department's handling of the dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys continued yesterday as Bush ordered Gonzales to Capitol Hill to patch up relations with lawmakers. Members of Congress say they were misled by Gonzales, who termed the dismissals non-political before administration e- mails released this week showed the White House was behind the ousters.
Senator John Sununu of New Hampshire became the first Republican in Congress to call on the president to fire Gonzales, saying yesterday the controversy harmed his ability to run the Justice Department. While Bush said he supported his attorney general, Gonzales found few defenders among other Republicans.
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Call to alms

Injured Marine struggles at home
U.S. Marine Warren Hardy, of Campbell, flew 8 feet in the air in his armored personnel carrier after it hit a landmine in Iraq. Hardy, since released, finds it hard to deal with everyday living after the accident.
He had short-term memory problems and could no longer multi-task. He now experiences numbness in his arms and has lost strength in his limbs, and suffers outbursts of anger - a condition known as Traumatic Brain Injury and a common injury in Iraq. Just holding one of his newborn triplet sons to feed him can be difficult.
Hardy receives regular treatment at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, where he is learning how to make day-to-day living easier. But the family's military health insurance expired Dec. 4, and as of last week, two of the three triplets are still in the hospital.
"We're just struggling, barely able to make ends meet," he said
Donate to the Warren Hardy Family Fund, P.O. Box 1541, Campbell, 95009.
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Libby Found Guilty

Lewis I. Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, was found guilty today on four counts of obstructing justice and lying to a grand jury and the FBI. He was not convicted of a fifth count of lying to the FBI. Libby could be sentenced to a maximum of about 30 years in prison and fined up to $1.25 million.
The case was built around five felony charges that Libby lied to FBI agents and a grand jury when he denied leaking the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame to reporters. Plame is married to Joseph Wilson, the former ambassador who wrote an op-ed piece in 2003 debunking the WMD justifications for the Iraq war. Libby supposedly leaked Plame's name as part of a White House campaign to discredit Wilson.
Though outing a CIA agent can be illegal, no one was charged with doing that to Plame. Instead, federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald went after Libby for lying. Though seemingly a side issue, Fitzgerald told reporters it was like "throwing sand in the umpire's face," a serious transgression that stops investigators from doing their jobs.
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Prince Harry will be sent to Iraq, according to British media

Do you agree with this or will his presence endanger the troops?

Prince Harry will be serving as a soldier in Iraq by the end of the month, according to British newspapers. A royal family spokesman declined to comment.
The Prince, known as Cornet Wales in the army, will be the first royal to serve in a war zone since his uncle, Prince Andrew, flew helicopters in the Falklands War 25 years ago.
According to British media, Prince Harry and his comrades were told yesterday they were being sent to Iraq. Defence Secretary Des Browne was to announce the deployment in a written statement to MPs yesterday.
The prince, who is third in line to the throne, will become the first royal to serve a tour of duty in a war-zone since his uncle, the Duke of York, flew helicopters in the Falklands conflict 25 years ago.The announcement came a day after Tony Blair outlined the first step in a phased withdrawal of British forces from the country with the return of some 1,600 troops within months. Harry’s regiment, the Blues and Royals, will be sent to Iraq in the next few weeks as part of a long-planned rotation of troops.
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Anthem for Doomed Youth

by Wilfred Owen Wilfred Owen is considered by some to be the greatest poet of the First World War. His realistic, often horrifying depictions of gas and trench warfare stand in dark contrast to the patriotic perceptions of others who wrote about war at the time...

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.
What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds..