Winchester Star (Newspaper) - October 28, 2005, Winchester, Virginia The Winchester Star 110THYEARNO.99 40 SECTIONS VIRGINIA 22601, OCTOBER 28, 2005 35 CENTS Storm of Protest Sinks Miers Nomination By DAVID ESPO Special WASHINGTON - In a striking defeat for President White House counsel Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination to the Supreme Court on Thursday after three weeks of brutal criticism from fellow The Senate's top Republican predicted a replacement candidate within Miers said she abandoned her quest for confirmation because the Senate was demanding documents and information detailing her private advice to the am concerned that the confirmation process presents a burden for the White she wrote in a letter to Bush expressing her 25 days as a Supreme Court nominee Oct. 3: Bush nominated Miers to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Oct. 6: Questions surfaced about her some citing her lack of Judicial Oct. 11: Disappointment grew among who cited the lack of a record on issues such as abortion and the death Some called for Bush to withdraw her Oct. 19: Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Sen. Arlen Specter and others demanded more information from Miers before hearings begin on Nov. 7; one lawmaker described the Supreme Court answers so far as to Harriet Miers Oct. 4: Some Republicans questioned her conservative 7 Bush predicted that Miers would be confirmed despite grumbling from Bush said Miers religious beliefs were part of the reason he picked her for the high Oct. 24: Bush said he would not turn over documents detailing the private advice that Miers gave him while serving in the White Oct. 27: Miers withdrew her AP wish to drop the Senior lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee said they had requested no such Republicans and Democrats said politics forced her to particularly the demands of GOP conservatives who twice elected Bush and now seek to move the high court to the right on abortion and other had a litmus test and Harriet Miers failed that said Sen. Edward M. she was denied due process by members of her own said Sen. John And former GOP Sen. Dan whom the White House assigned to assist See Miers Page A7 Conservative Strength vs. Weaker Bush By TOM RAUM Press An Analysis WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee Harriet sudden withdrawal underscores the strength of the social conservatives who form President Bush's political base and the weakness of a president buffeted by one political misfortune after Her withdrawal came after restive conservatives mounted a See Page A7 Exxon Mobil Profits Soar Amid Boosts In Gas Prices Shell Earnings Also Rise By STEVE QUINN Associated Press Writer DALLAS - Exxon Mobil Corp. rewrote the corporate record books on Thursday as the oil company's earnings soared to almost billion and it became the first public company ever with quarterly sales topping Anglo-Dutch competitor Royal Dutch Shell PLC wasn't far posting a profit of billion for the Those results led Democrats in Congress to demand a new windfall profits oil behemoths are making out like while the average American family is getting killed by high gas and record heating oil Sen. Chuck said in a But Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said President Bush opposes such a move and is instead considering a wide range of proposals to help cushion including the creation of an emergency reserve of gasoline and other refined Thursday's outsized earnings are a result of surging oil and natural gas prices that pushed pump prices to record territory after Hurricane They come on the heels of similar gains reported this week by BP ConocoPhillips Inc. and Marathon Oil Corp. See Profits Page A2 Associated Press A customer prepares to his tank at an Exxon station in Ore. Parade Aid by Taylor Two-year-old jack Thompson receives some assistance with his dog costume from First Presbyterian Church Weekday School teacher Sabrina Kham on Thursday He was preparing for the school's annual Halloween Parade on the Loudoun Street Mall in For another see Page Report Charges Politicians In Iraq Oil Fraud U.N. Probe Lists More Than 2,200 By NICK WADHAMS and EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press Writers UNITED NATIONS - Investigators of the U.N. program issued a final report on Thursday that accused more than 2,200 U.S. and foreign and prominent of colluding with Saddam Hussein's regime to bilk the operation of The 623-page document was a scathing indictment that exposed the global scope of a scam that allegedly involved such name-brand companies as DaimlerChrysler and Siemens as well as a former French U.N. a firebrand British politician and the president of Italy's Lombardi It meticulously detailed how the billion program became a cash cow for Saddam and more than half the companies participating in - at the expense of regular Iraqis suffering under tough U.N. It blamed shoddy U.N. management and the world's most powerful nations for allowing the corruption to go on for corruption of the program by Saddam would not nearly have been so pervasive if there had been diligent management by the United Nations Associated Press Paul chairman of the panel investigating the talks with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan before Volcker addressed the organization's delegates on and its said Paul a former Federal Reserve chairman who led the Volcker and many nations said the report underscored the urgent need to reform the United Earlier reports in his investigation have led to criminal inquiries and Sce Report Page AS Israelis Retaliate for Kill 7 Palestinians By KARIN LAUB Associated Press Writer JERUSALEM - Israel killed seven Palestinians in a missile strike against Islamic Jihad on and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he would not with the Palestinian leader until he cracks down on armed groups - a double-edged Israeli response to the latest suicide Sharon threatened a and offensive against Palestinian including mass arrests and air but security officials said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says he will not talk peace with Mahmoud Abbas until the attacks rael would stop short of a large-scale military Sharon's decision to shun Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas was the clearest signal that efforts to revive peacemaking after Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip last month have run Abbas has said he cannot and will not confront fearing civil but it's unlikely that progress can be made unless the two leaders The international community has been pressing for a quick agreement on new security arrangements for Gaza's and a continued deadlock over such issues will prevent the economic recovery of impoverished in could hurt chances in parliamentary elections in In Secretary of State Rice lodged a new appeal on Thursday with Abbas to prevent terror attacks on Israel and dismantle the groups that carry them She balanced her request to Abbas with appeals to Israel to resume contacts with the said State Department spokesman Sean Wednesday's bombing in an open-air market in the central Israeli town of Hadera killed five the fourth suicide attack by Islamic Jihad since Abbas negotiated a truce deal with See Mideast Page A8 Come and Get It School Lunch - the two words usually have a strong opinion attached to thenh What goes into feeding the masses each 1 Comics | B7 Dear Abby | C7 | Movies | B12 Sports | MISS YOUR Call 667-3200 from 7 to 11 665-4946 after business Prosecutors Fight DWI Rulings By MATTHEW BARAKAT Associated Press Writer FAIRFAX - A judge who has ruled that Virginia's drunken driving law is unconstitutional is misinterpreting the U.S. Supreme Court case on which his opinion is prosecutors said on A different judge heard arguments on the constitutionality of Virginia's which presumes that a driver with a level of 0.08 or higher is unless the driver can prove Defense attorneys argued that such a presumption is unconstitutional because it infringes bn the guarantees to a presumption of They cite an obscure 1985 U.S. Supreme Court Francis v. as support for their Defense lawyers presented that argument in July to District Judge Ian M. and he dismissing two drunken cases in the summer and several more this including drivers whose blood alcohol level has been more than twice the legal See DWI Page A7 Ashlee Stevens 1$ considered lucky because she has her own cell at the Northwestern Regional Adult Detention Center in For a story on the crowded see Page Star Photo by left Taylor Costume Contest during t Spooky Skate 2nd, 3rt Prizes 0608566000375
