European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 18, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday March 182007 stars and stripes Page 17 in the states Gonzales gop support weakens by Julie Hirschfeld Davis the associated press White House on Fri Day backed off its earlier Contention that the White House counsel Harriet Miers first raised the idea of firing us attorneys an act that led to a firestorm of criticism of at Torney general Alberto Gonzales it has been described As her idea but i dont want to try to vouch for origination said White House press Secretary Tony Snow who previously had asserted Miers was the person who came up with the idea at this juncture people have hazy memories snows comments came As emails surfaced thursday night pulling tie White House fur ther into the intensifying probe Over the fir Ings of eight Federal prosecutors the emails raised new questions about top political adviser Karl roves role in the dismissals and came amid eroding gop support for Gonzales that put his Job at risk Snow said it was not immediately Clear who first floated the More dramatic idea of firing All 93 us attorneys shortly after president Miers Bush was reelected to a second term asked if Bush himself might have suggested the firings Snow said any things possible but i dont think so he said Bush certainly has no recollection of any Rove such thing i cant speak for the attorney Gen eral Bush top Legal aides were to Tell congressional democrats on Friday whether and under what conditions they would allow High level White House officials including Rove to testify under oath in the inquiry into the firings subpoenas could come As Early As this week the Story keeps changing which neither does them or the Public any Good sen Chuck Schumer a Democrat said Friday another re publican on Fri Day suggested it might be time for Gonzales to go it is ultimately the presi dents decision but perhaps it would Benefit this administration if the attorney general Gonzales was replaced with someone with a More professional focus rather than personal loyalty said Republican rep Dana Rohrabacher the emails including a set issued thurs Day night by the Justice department appear to contradict the administrations assertion that Bush staff had Only limited involvement in the firings which democrats have called a politically motivated purge the Senate judiciary committee will vote thursday on authorizing subpoenas for Rove Miers and her Deputy William k Kelley Plame says her identity treated recklessly by Matt Apuzzo the associated press Washington Valerie Plame the Cia operative at the heart of a political scandal told Congress on Friday that senior officials at the White House and state department carelessly and recklessly blew her cover to discredit her diploma husband Plame whose 2003 Outing Trig gered a Federal investigation said she always knew her identity could be discovered by foreign governments Valerie Plame it was a terrible irony that administration officials were the ones who destroyed my cover she told the House oversight and government Reform committee if our government cannot even protect my identity future foreign agents who might consider working with the Central intelligence Agency and providing needed intelligence would think twice Plame said in response to a question the hearing was the first time Plame has publicly answered questions about the Case which led to the recent perjury and obstruction of Justice conviction of vice president Dick Cheney former top aide i Lewis Scooter Libby her appearance was a moment of gripping political theater As democrats questioned whether the Bush administration mishandled classified information by leaking her identity to reporters no one has been charged with leaking her identity nobody from the White House involved in the leak was scheduled to testify neither were officials from the state department or the Cia proposal to begin draw Down from Iraq hits Wall the associated press suffered a de feat in the Senate on thursday for a Les sweeping plan to end us participation in the War in the Senate after weeks of skirmishing republicans easily turned Back democratic legislation that would have required a troop withdrawal to begin within 120 Days the Mea sure set no fixed deadline for completion of the redeployment but set a goal of March 31 2008 the vote was 5048 against the measure 12 Short of the 60 needed for passage Senate democrats promptly said they would try again to Force a change in Bush policy beginning this week when they begin work on legislation to provide Money for the War in Iraq and Afghanistan sen Gordon Smith was the Only Republican to support the measure democrats Mark Pryor and Ben Nelson opposed it As did sen Joseph Lieberman an Independent Democrat Republican leaders hoped the proposal advanced by sen Judd Gregg would prove difficult for democrats to oppose and complicate any future Effort to reduce funds for the War Greggs amendment passed 8216 democrats tried still another proposal this one saying that Congress would provide Nec Essary funds for training equipment and other support for troops in the Field it passed easily 962 student says he found mouse in Tritola chips Monument Colo an eight grader said he found a dead mouse inside a bag of frito Lay Barbecue potato chips he bought at a school lunch line and his claim appears credible school officials said the boy reported he found the mouse on wednesday at Lewis Palmer Middle school in Monument the principal arid a vice principal interviewed his parents and other students who were sitting at the same lunch table and decided the incident didst appear to be a prank said Donna Wood a spokeswoman for the Lewis Palmer school District frito Lay spokeswoman Aurora Gonzalez said Friday the piano Texas based company will investigate to determine what action if any it will take Wood said the school District has temporarily pulled All chips from its vending machines and lunch lines Man held after climbing White House Fence Washington an unidentified Man scaled a White House Fence Friday prompting a Security lock Down on White House compound the secret service said the Man climbed Over the Fence on the Northeast Side of the White House grounds shortly after 11 am and was taken into custody secret service spokesman Eric Zahren said the secret service disclosed no other information More than an hour after the incident the White House Gates remained closed and a building housing the White House press corps off Lafayette Square was locked Down the regular White House briefing was delayed until the area could be secured senator backs generals comments on Gays Washington Republican presidential candidate Sam Brown Back is backing the pentagons top general Over his remarks that homosexual acts Are immoral the Kansas senator planned to Send a letter on thursday to presi Dent Bush supporting Marine Gen Peter Pace who last week likened homosexuality to Adul Tery and said the military should not condone it by allowing Gay personnel to serve openly lawmakers of both parties criticized the remarks but Brown backs letter called the criticism both unfair and unfortunate from the associated press inventor Hopes animal fat fit for fuel to fire up jets by Tim Simmons Raleigh no news observer Raleigh no Bill Roberts cant help but wonder whether his Fame and Fortune might be found in the Greasy remnants of animal fat after eight months of work the North Carolina state University researcher has shown he can make High Grade Jet fuel from fat that not even fit to be called lard and that has attracted a corporate sponsor a lot of excite ment and attention from technology magazines the bbl in England and others i guess Fortune follows Fame Roberts said right now what we need is some Money to move this to the next step he also needs to ramp up production today a Batch of fuel from Rob erts lab measures less than a Tea spoon it is so Small he keeps tiny vials of it in folders on his desk the next step is producing about two cups of fuel which will take another eight months at that Point it would be poured into a miniature Jet engine at Nusu that Small enough to fit on top of an oversized file Cabinet once the engine fires up the fuel will be gone in less than five minutes in that time Roberts and his partners will know whether they have a product they can sell Jeff has Sannia vice presi Dent of business development at diversified Energy in Gilbert Ariz is counting on it diversified Energy which works to Advance alternative and renewable fuels is negotiating a License agreement with Nusu has Sannia thinks Jet fuel from fat will attract investors and could Snag the us military As a customer this is going to be competitive with today prices for Jet fuel which runs about a gallon has Sannia said More importantly it represents a Domestic source of fuel at a stable rate that comes from a renewable input Roberts and has Sannia Are focused on the military because of a recent Competition sponsored by the department of defense to find More alternative fuel sources Roberts worked in the Field of Jet propulsion for Nasa before coming to Nusu in 1994 has Sannia found put about the work at Nusu during a Confer ence in Colorado this summer held to discuss the competitions goals and guidelines although nisus proposal did not place in the Competition it convinced has Sannia that he needed to work with the inventors since then Nusu and diversified Energy have been talking with the defense advanced re search projects Agency with the goal of producing about 25 Gal Lons of Jet fuel by mid2008