Company sinks teeth into dog time shares By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer

Company sinks teeth into dog time shares By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 15 minutes ago



SAN FRANCISCO - From the state that popularized purse puppies, drive-thru dog washes and gourmet dog food delivery comes the latest in canine convenience — a company that contracts out dogs by the day to urbanites without the time or space to care for a pet full-time.

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Marlena Cervantes, founder of FlexPetz, bristles when people refer to her five-month-old business as a rent-a-pet service. She prefers the term "shared pet ownership," explaining the concept is more akin to a vacation time share or a gym membership than a trip to the video store.

"Our members are responsible in that they realize full-time ownership is not an option for them and would be unfair to the dog," said Cervantes, 32, a behavioral therapist who got the idea while working with pets and autistic children. "It prevents dogs from being adopted and then returned to the shelter by people who realize it wasn't a good fit."

FlexPetz is currently available in Los Angeles and San Diego, where Cervantes lives. She plans to open new locations in San Francisco next month, New York in September and London by the end of the year.

For an annual fee of $99.95, a monthly payment of $49.95 and a per-visit charge of $39.95 a day, (discounted to $24.95 Sunday through Thursday), animal lovers who enroll in FlexPetz get to spend time with a four-legged companion from Cervantes' 10-dog crew of Afghan hounds, Labrador retrievers and Boston terriers.

The membership costs cover the expense of training and boarding the dogs, home or office delivery, collar-sized global positioning devices, veterinary bills and liability insurance. It also pays for the "care kits" — comprised of leashes, bowls, beds and pre-measured food — that accompany each dog on its visits.

Charter FlexPetz member Shari Gonzalez said she was thinking about getting a dog when a dog trainer she consulted suggested part-time ownership. At first, she had reservations.

Gonzalez, 22, never doubted there was room for a dog in her heart. The issue was her life, which included a small, two-bedroom apartment and a full-time schedule of college classes in San Diego.

"I was thinking, 'How is a dog going to bounce from house to house and be OK with that,'" she said. "I didn't want a dog that would come into my place and pee."

Since signing up, Gonzalez said she has tried out several dogs but fell in love with a black Lab named Jackpot. They spend an average of one day each weekend together. He sleeps at her apartment and she takes him on hikes, to the beach and to parks frequented by other dog owners.

"I never even thought that was a possibility," Gonzalez said. "I thought you either owned a dog or you didn't."

Gonzalez recently met another of Jackpot's part-time companions, graphic designer Jenny Goddard, 33. Goddard, who is married with a 6-year-old son, said having a dog a weekend or two a month has been perfect for her busy family and encourages them to spend more time together outdoors.

"It's funny," she said. "He is so friendly and immediately playful with us, people are surprised he is a rental dog."

The idea of commitment-free pets is not entirely new. Most private animal shelters, for instance, encourage volunteers to become temporary foster families to animals awaiting adoption.

Melissa Bain, a veterinarian with the Companion Animal Behavior Program at the University of California at Davis, said she had concerns but no hard-and-fast objections to a service like FlexPetz.

"It depends on the people and it depends on the animal," Bain said. "Some dogs may be fine and some may become stressed because they are moving from home to home."

More in GOP want Iraq military limits By ANNE FLAHERTY and KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writers

More in GOP want Iraq military limits By ANNE FLAHERTY and KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writers
46 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Republicans increasingly are backing a new approach in the Iraq war that could become the party's mantra come September. It would mean narrowly limited missions for U.S. troops in Iraq but let President Bush decide when troops should leave.

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So far, the idea has not attracted the attention of Democratic leaders. They are under substantial pressure by anti-war groups to consider only legislation that orders troops from Iraq.

But the GOP approach quickly is becoming the attractive alternative for Republican lawmakers who want to challenge Bush on the unpopular war without backtracking from their past assertions that it would be disastrous to set deadlines for troop withdrawals.

"This is a necessary adjustment in the national debate to reintroduce bipartisanship, to stop the `gotcha' politics that are going on that seem to be driven by fringes on both sides and change the terms of the discussion," said Rep. Phil English, R-Pa.

English is among the more than 40 Republicans in the House and Senate who are sponsoring legislation intended to shift the mission of U.S. troops. Several other GOP lawmakers, facing tight elections next year and a strong anti-war sentiment in their districts, say they are considering this approach.

"Settling Sunni-Shiite rivalries over who occupies what street in Baghdad is not in the vital interest of the United States," said Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., who said she is considering her options. "And we should only have Americans in harms' way where there are U.S. interests at stake."

Bush's top military commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, is expected to tell Congress in September that more time is needed to determine whether a massive U.S.-led security push initiated in January is working.

The message is unlikely to be well received on Capitol Hill. Democrats have criticized the strategy as escalating a failing war; Republicans say they want to see progress made by fall.

GOP support has proved crucial to Bush in stalling anti-war proposals in the Democratic-run Congress. Legislation ordering U.S. troops out of Iraq has passed repeatedly in the House only to sink in the Senate, where Republicans threaten a filibuster and Democrats fall short of the 60 votes needed to cut off debate.

House Democrats plan to try again this week with a bill that would begin a pullout this fall. Republicans are expected to overwhelmingly oppose it.

If Bush cannot convince GOP lawmakers by September that he is on the right track, more Republicans are expected to demand change.

But many of them, long on record as opposing an end date for combat, say it makes sense to focus on the mission instead. Yet this approach would amount to a de facto mandate for troop withdrawals because of the large number of forces assigned to combat missions.

The goal, they say, is to end the U.S.-led daily patrols in the streets of Baghdad and restrict troops to fighting al-Qaida terrorists and training Iraq security forces.

"If you do that you've greatly reduced the loss of life, which is what matters most," said Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del.

The idea of forcing such a change gained prominence last December when the Iraq Study Group concluded Bush should do more to hand over the combat mission to Iraqi forces.

The bipartisan commission envisioned an ambitious and new diplomatic push, with U.S. troops remaining in the region primarily to supply and train the Iraqi army and to target terrorist cells.

Since then, some 40 Republicans and 31 Democrats have signed on to legislation by Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., that urges Bush to embrace the commission's recommendations.

A much smaller, though growing number of Republicans supports requiring that Bush submit to Congress a detailed, new military strategy to change the mission of U.S. troops.

In the past week, Castle and English agreed to co-sponsor the legislation by Democratic Reps. Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii and John Tanner of Tennessee.

Sens. John Warner, R-Va., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind., have proposed similar legislation.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a co-sponsor of Salazar's legislation on the Iraq Study Group, wants to go further: binding legislation that would order Bush to restrict the mission of U.S. troops to counterterrorism, training Iraqis and protecting U.S. assets.

The goal, she says, is to "set the stage for a significant but responsible withdrawal of American combat troops over the next year."

For most of these lawmakers, their decision to embrace change is colored by politics.

Collins is seen by Democratic challengers as particularly vulnerable in the 2008 elections because of the overwhelmingly anti-war sentiment among Maine voters.

English faces an anti-war, anti-incumbent sentiment among Pennsylvania voters, who in 2006 ousted four GOP House members and Republican Sen. Rick Santorum.

Wilson's fellow Republican from New Mexico, Sen. Pete Domenici, recently broke with Bush on Iraq and embraced Salazar's proposal.

Castle was among a dozen lawmakers challenged in an ad campaign in May featuring three retired generals saying politicians cannot expect to win re-election if they support Bush's Iraq policy.

Montana fire spreads nearly unchecked By SARAH COOKE, Associated Press Writer

Montana fire spreads nearly unchecked By SARAH COOKE, Associated Press Writer
39 minutes ago



HELENA, Mont. - Hot, dry and windy weather helped a wildfire near Glacier National Park grow to roughly 5,000 acres on Sunday and continue to threaten an evacuated lodge.

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The blaze had grown from 1,000 acres a day earlier and was just 2 percent contained, fire information officer Dale Warriner said. The fire was running into heavy timber.

On Sunday, authorities reopened a highway near the park in northwestern Montana, but they warned that U.S. 2 could be closed again if the blaze flared up.

Guests and 18 workers at the Summit Station Lodge along the highway remained evacuated as flames burned within a mile, owner Jorge Simental said. The number of guests was not immediately available.

Fire crews were protecting the lodge and tearing down some trees that were close to cabins, he said.

No other structures were threatened, but officials in Pondera County asked residents of Heart Butte to be prepared to evacuate if needed. The community of about 700 people is 18 miles southeast of the blaze.

"We're not going to call for an evacuation until it gets within 10 miles, so we've got some time," said Clete Gregory, the county's disaster and emergency services director.

"We just don't want to have to pull a surprise on everyone in the middle of the night," he said.

Near-record heat and low humidity also fueled blazes elsewhere in Montana, with similar conditions forecast for Monday.

A fire north of Helena was keeping people away from recreation areas and homes. The blaze, which had charred nearly 10 square miles, was 10 percent contained on Sunday, fire managers said.

Elsewhere, a dozen homes were ordered evacuated Sunday in California's Santa Barbara County as a massive wildfire burned across 1,500 new acres, continuing a growth spurt for the nearly month-old blaze that had appeared to be standing still.

Warm and very dry weather during the night allowed the fire to burn through old, heavy trees in the Los Padres National Forest on its uncontained southeast side, officials said. The blaze has charred about 32,000 acres, or 50 square miles, since it started July 4 and was 70 percent contained Sunday.

An evacuation order was issued for the Peachtree Community, about 12 homes spread over a wide area of the forest. Smoke drifted over Santa Barbara more than 40 miles away and was reported in Bakersfield some 80 miles away, officials said.

Residents of another 200 homes were told to be prepared to flee at short notice,

A 1,030-square-mile fire in southern Idaho and northern Nevada was 86 percent contained and was near full containment, officials said.

Bush, Brown seek to establish rapport By DAVID STRINGER and BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writers

Bush, Brown seek to establish rapport By DAVID STRINGER and BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writers
1 hour, 11 minutes ago



CAMP DAVID, Md. - President Bush, starting a new relationship late in his presidency, welcomed British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday with casual diplomacy.

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In the tranquility of the Catoctin Mountains, Bush and Brown began their brief meeting — Sunday night and Monday — at Camp David, with an emphasis on private time between the two. Their substantive agenda is familiar: terror threats, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, crisis in Darfur, stalled trade.

Yet the overarching theme is rapport — and establishing some.

Bush is aiming for at least a solid relationship with Brown, shaped around their nations' mutual interests. That much is expected, but it is far from the kinship Bush had with Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair, who lost favor at home because of his close ties to Bush.

Brown arrived by helicopter at Camp David after booming thunderstorms gave way to sunshine. He emerged to find a military honor guard and Bush waiting for him.

"It's a great pleasure to be here at Camp David because there's so much history associated with it," Brown told Bush as the leaders exchanged small talk.

Bush drove the two of them away in a golf cart after doing a playful 360-degree maneuver in front of the gathered media. The two were off for a private dinner.

En route to the United States, the new British leader said the world is indebted to the United States for taking the lead in the fight against terrorism. Brown said he would use his visit to strengthen what Britain considers its "most important bilateral relationship."

London and Washington are focused on "the biggest single and immediate challenge the world has to defeat: global terrorism," Brown told reporters traveling with him.

"In this century it has fallen to America to take center stage," Brown said. "America has shown by the resilience and bravery of its people from Sept. 11 that while buildings can be destroyed, values are indestructible.

"And we should acknowledge the debt the world owes to the United States for its leadership in this fight against international terrorism," he said.

Brown denied speculation that Britain's relationship with the U.S. was cooling.

His predecessor, Blair, was often accused at home of being too compliant with the policies of President Bush, especially regarding the Iraq war. Some analysts have urged Brown to be more like Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, who had close ties with the U.S. but remained frank about their own goals and policies.

Brown makes his first major overseas trip buoyed by a surprising degree of public support after a first month in office in which he impressed with his sober handling of the terror plots in London and Glasgow.

Brown was joined on the flight by Foreign Secretary David Miliband, the youthful legislator he promoted last month to take charge of international policy. Miliband was meeting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for the first time in his new role, aiming, like Bush, to strike up an instant rapport with his counterpart.

Many observers expected Brown to flop because of a personality often derided as dour and brooding — yet these very traits have helped him appear serious and statesmanlike.

Britons actually seem pleased with the contrast to the kinetic Blair. But questions abound over whether the intellectual Brown will kindle Blair's chemistry with Bush.

Brown arrives with some thorny issues to manage, not least the fate of Britain's remaining soldiers in Iraq.

In Washington, officials expressed optimism about warm ties between Bush and Brown, but there has already been friction.

Junior foreign affairs minister Mark Malloch-Brown raised eyebrows in Washington recently when he said Bush and Brown would not be "joined at the hip" — a jab at Blair's close relationship with the U.S. president.

In London, The Sunday Times reported that Simon McDonald, Brown's chief foreign policy adviser, recently traveled to Washington to meet with U.S. officials ahead of the prime minister's visit and discussed the possibility of an early British military withdrawal from Iraq.

Brown's spokesman Michael Ellam told reporters on Sunday that McDonald had made it "very clear" to U.S. officials there had been no change to British government policy over Iraq. Military chiefs in London have said Britain is likely to hand over control of the southern Iraqi city of Basra to local forces by the end of the year.

Around 500 of Britain's 5,500 troops in Iraq are due to hand over the Basra Palace city center base within weeks, defense officials have said. Brown has not outlined plans for the remaining 5,000 personnel, stationed at an airport on the fringes of the city.

Ellam said there was no plan to withdraw British troops before the Iraqi army is deemed capable of maintaining security.

Other difficult issues include the American push to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, the Iran nuclear showdown, Darfur and the status of the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo.

Aides said the British leader aimed to secure Bush's help in restarting the stalled Doha rounds of World Trade Organization talks, which seek to help poorer countries develop their economies through new trade. He also wanted to discuss a stiffer international response to the violence in Sudan's Darfur region.

__

Feller reported from Camp David, Md; Stringer reported from aboard Gordon Brown's plane.

Afghan leaders: Free female hostages By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer

Afghan leaders: Free female hostages By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer
45 minutes ago



KABUL, Afghanistan - Political and religious leaders invoked Afghan and Islamic traditions of chivalry and hospitality Sunday in attempts to shame the Taliban into releasing 18 female South Korean captives.

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A purported Taliban spokesman shrugged off the demands and instead set a new deadline for the hostages' lives, saying the hardline militants could kill one or all of the 22 captives if the government does not release 23 militant prisoners by 3:30 a.m. EDT Monday. Several earlier deadlines passed without killings.

A leader of the group was shot and killed on Wednesday but it was unclear why.

Afghan officials reported no progress in talks with tribal elders to secure freedom for the hostages. Their church has said the Koreans were in the country to provide medical and volunteer services.

In his first comments since 23 Koreans were abducted on July 19, Afghan President Hamid Karzai criticized the Taliban's kidnapping of "foreign guests," especially women, as contrary to the tenets of Islam and national traditions.

"The perpetration of this heinous act on our soil is in total contempt of our Islamic and Afghan values," Karzai told a South Korean envoy during a meeting at the presidential palace, according to a statement from his office.

Echoing Karzai's words, Afghanistan's national council of clerics said the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, taught that no one has the right to kill women.

"Even in the history of Afghanistan, in all its combat and fighting, Afghans respected women, children and elders," the council said. "The killing of women is against Islam, against the Afghan culture, and they shouldn't do it."

And a former Taliban commander and current lawmaker who has joined the negotiations, Abdul Salaam Rocketi, said the government policy was that the "women should be released first."

But the Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, instead invoked the religious tenet of "an eye for an eye," alleging that Western militaries are holding Afghan females at bases in Bagram and Kandahar, and saying that the Taliban can do the same. He said the Taliban could detain and kill "women, men or children."

"It might be a man or a woman. ... We may kill one, we may kill two, we may kill one of each (gender), two of each, four of each," Ahmadi told The Associated Press by satellite phone from an unknown location. "Or we may kill all of them at once."

Ahmadi said the militant group had given a list of 23 insurgent prisoners it wants released to government officials, and that if they weren't freed by midday Monday hostages would be killed.

The South Koreans were kidnapped while traveling by bus on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, Afghanistan's main thoroughfare. Their church has said the captives were not involved in Christian missionary work in Afghanistan, but that it will suspend some of its volunteer work there.

Two days of meetings between elders of Qarabagh district in Ghazni province, where the South Korean hostages were kidnapped, and a delegation of senior officials from Kabul yielded no results so far, said Shirin Mangal, spokesman for the Ghazni provincial governor.

The meeting was being held behind closed doors, and Mangal did not divulge any details.

In his meeting with Karzai, Korean presidential envoy Baek Jong-chun thanked the president for the Afghan government's help and said South Korea will respect the government's way of ending the crisis, according to Karzai's office.

Pope Benedict XVI also called for the hostages' release, saying the perpetrators should "desist from the evil they have carried out and give back their victims unharmed."

Iraqis bask in rare joy after soccer win By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer

Iraqis bask in rare joy after soccer win By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer
56 minutes ago



BAGHDAD - Tens of thousands of Iraqis from the Shiite south to the Kurdish-dominated north poured into the usually treacherous streets Sunday to celebrate a rare moment of joy and unity when the national team won Asia's most prestigious soccer tournament.

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The revelers spanning the country's sectarian and ethnic divisions danced, sang and waved flags and posters of the team after Iraq beat three-time champion Saudi Arabia 1-0 to take the Asian Cup.

Chants of "Long live Iraq" and "Baghdad is victorious" rang out across the country as Iraqis basked in national pride. Some of the revelers — mostly men — took their shirts off to display the red, white and black colors of the Iraqi flag painted on their chests.

Reporters of the state Iraqiya television wrapped themselves with the national flag as they interviewed people celebrating in the streets. Some joined in the chanting.

Within seconds of the final whistle, celebratory gunfire echoed across Baghdad and elsewhere despite a government ban and the threat of arrest by authorities.

At least four people were killed and scores wounded by the gunfire. But as night fell on the country, there were no reports of bombings such as those that killed at least 50 and wounded dozens in Baghdad during celebrations of Iraq's semifinal win over South Korea on Wednesday.

Authorities said they foiled a potential car bomber in southwestern Baghdad after he refused to stop at a checkpoint and appeared headed toward a crowd of revelers. Iraqi authorities had banned vehicles in and around the capital from shortly before the game began until early Monday to prevent a repeat of last week's violence.

"The victory of our Iraqi soccer team is a wonderful gift to Iraqis who have been suffering from the killing, car bombs, abductions and other violent acts," said Falah Ibrahim, a 44-year-old resident of Baghdad's predominantly Shiite Sadr City district.

Sunday's dramatic win capped a three-week campaign by Iraqi team, nicknamed "The Lions of the Two Rivers." Iraqis were captivated and spoke of hope, even as years of violence and sectarian strife have many asking if ethnically and religiously divided Iraq can survive as one nation.

The team's players do not live in Iraq and earn their wages playing for teams across the Middle East. Because of tenuous security at home, wars and U.N. sanctions, the team had not played a home game in 17 years and must train and practice abroad.

"We are celebrating because this team represents all Iraqi sects," said Awas Khalid, one of the thousands of Kurds who celebrated the win in the city of Sulaimaniyah in the Kurdish north, where secessionist sentiment has been on the rise.

"This team is for everyone," Khalid said, as revelers around him waved Iraqi and Kurdish flags and chanted "Baghdad is victorious" in Arabic instead of their native Kurdish language.

The mixed makeup of the winning national team was interpreted by many Iraqis as proof that politicians are more concerned with their narrow sectarian agendas than national interest, thus preventing reconciliation among rival factions.

"The politicians have divided us and these athletes united us," said 24-year-old Shiite Tareq Yassin, taking a break from dancing with hundreds of people in the streets of Amin, a southeastern Baghdad neighborhood. "I am usually very shy. Today, I forgot my shyness and everything else and I could only think of Iraq."

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki tried to use the team's success to shore up support for his embattled government.

During Sunday's final, state television reported that he would reward every player with a $10,000 bonus. Soon after the final whistle, the station reported that al-Maliki was congratulating team members on the telephone. But live coverage showed the entire squad celebrating on the pitch.

Al-Maliki later issued a statement on the team's win in flowery Arabic.

"There is a big difference between The Lions of the Two Rivers who struggle to put a smile on the faces of their people and those who work in dark corners strewing death and sorrow in the paths of innocent people. We are proud of you. You deserve all our love and respect," it said.

President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, ordered an additional $10,000 reward for the players and twice that for Sunday's goal scorer Younis Mahmoud, a Sunni Arab, who scored on a pass from Mulla Mohammed, the team's only Kurdish player.

Even Iraq's squabbling political factions set aside their disputes, if only temporarily.

The largest Sunni Arab bloc said it would delay a planned response in its war of words with the Shiite-dominated government to avoid poisoning the joyous atmosphere.

The Accordance Front has suspended its membership in al-Maliki's government and threatened to quit altogether this week if the prime minister does not meet certain demands. The government said the move amounted to blackmail and that the Sunni bloc had helped create some of the very policies it now criticized.

Accordance Front spokesman Salim Abdullah said his group would issue a reply on Monday "because we don't want anything to spoil the day's joy for the people of Iraq."

Its demands include a pardon for security detainees not charged with specific crimes, a firm commitment by the government to uphold human rights, the disbanding of militias and the inclusion of all parties as the government deals with Iraq's chaotic security environment.

Most of the team's other players are Shiites, and Shiites back home had lightheartedly dubbed Sunday's game against the Sunni-dominated Saudis an "Ali vs Omar" encounter. That played on the belief among some Shiites that Omar Ibn al-Khatab, the second Muslim caliphate, usurped power from Ali Ibn Abi-Taleb, a cousin of the 7th century Prophet Muhammad and Shiism's most revered saint.

But any links between the soccer game and Iraq's sectarian violence Sunday remained largely tenuous, with national pride, joy and hope the overwhelming sentiments.

In northern Iraq, gunmen opened fire on shoppers in a Shiite Turkomen village near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, killing seven people and wounding six, police said.

Two U.S. soldiers also were killed — one by small-arms fire north of Baghdad and another in fighting in an eastern section of the capital, the military said.

In Najaf, the Shiite holy city south of Baghdad, 31-year-old teacher Mohammed Hussein said that Sunday's joy would be short-lived.

"The Iraqi team has brought joy and victory," he said. "We are happy, but this will not last long because the politicians will bring us back to disputes and sadness tomorrow."

___

Associated Press writers Sameer N. Yacoub and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad and Yahya Barzanji in Sulaimaniyah contributed to this report.

Ripken, Gwynn inducted into Hall of Fame By JOHN KEKIS, AP Sports Writer

Ripken, Gwynn inducted into Hall of Fame By JOHN KEKIS, AP Sports Writer
2 hours, 5 minutes ago



COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. - Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn took their place in baseball's shrine Sunday, saluted as much for their Hall of Fame careers as their character off the field. Commissioner Bud Selig and a record crowd came to cheer them and all that was good about the game.

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A continent away, a different scene played out. Barry Bonds failed to tie the home run record, a chase tainted by his surly nature and a steroids investigation.

Ripken and Gwynn sensed that poignant counterpoint on their induction day.

"This day shouldn't be all about us," Ripken said. "Today is about celebrating the best that baseball has been and the best it can be. This is a symbol it's alive, popular."

"Whether you like it or not, as big leaguers, we are role models," he said. "The only question is, will it be positive or will it be negative?"

Gwynn offered the same sentiment.

"I think the fans felt comfortable enough in us, they could trust us and how we played the game, especially in this era of negativity," he said. "I don't think there's any question about that."

"When you sign your name on the dotted line, it's more than just playing the game of baseball," he said. "You've got to be responsible and make decisions and show people how things are supposed to be done."

Boosted by busloads from Maryland, an estimated 75,000 fans turned the vast field facing the podium into a sea of black, orange and brown.

Ripken spent his entire career in Baltimore, making his mark by playing 2,632 consecutive games and breaking Lou Gehrig's record of 2,130. Among the 53 Hall of Famers on stage behind Ripken were former Orioles Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Earl Weaver, Eddie Murray and Jim Palmer.

That only made Ripken, whose dad also coached and managed the Orioles, struggle through much of his speech.

"Most of all, I count the blessings of my family," he said. "Imagine how lucky I am to call the man whose memories I revere to this day by so many important names — teacher, coach, manager, and especially dad. He was for me and many others an example of how to play and prepare for the game the right way — the Cal Sr. way.

"And alongside him there was always my mom, who to this day shines as an example of devotion to family and community, humility, integrity and love. Mom, the words are hard to find how much I love you back."

Ripken then broke down, pausing as he began to thank wife Kelly.

"She didn't know anything about baseball or me when we first met," Ripken said.

As Ripken spoke, he pulled a white rose from his suit coat. Son Ryan did the same and handed it to his mom.

Gwynn's family also got a prime role. His daughter, Anisha, sang the national anthems for both Canada and the United States to start the festivities.

Steady on the field, Gwynn was a bundle of nerves for his speech. It didn't take long for him to focus on the moment that changed his life — June 6, 1981, the day he met his wife, Alicia.

"From that point on, my life pretty much was set," Gwynn said. "She let me play baseball and she raised the children. My wife allowed me to chase my dreams."

She also played an integral part in his on-field success.

"In June 1983, I hurt my wrist and I called my wife and asked her to hit the record button (on their videotape player)," he said. "Lucky for me, my wife said yes. From the time I came home from that trip to the day I retired, I was a big believer in video."

"I would not be standing here today without video," he said. "All of a sudden, it just opened a new avenue for me because I learned that at this level it's about knowing what you do when you get in that batter's box."

Gwynn finished with 3,141 hits and won eight National League batting titles in a 20-year career with the San Diego Padres.

Even though he had 3,184 hits — including 431 home runs — was a two-time American League MVP and a 19-time All-Star, Ripken will always be known for his streak.

"I always looked at it as just showing up for work every day," he said. "As I look out on this audience, I see thousands of people who do the same, teachers, police officers, mothers, fathers, business people and many others.

"You all may not receive the accolades that I have throughout my career, but I would like to take the time to salute all of you for showing up, working hard, and making the world a better place."

Rick Hummel, longtime baseball writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, received the J.G. Spink Award for meritorious writing, and Royals announcer Denny Matthews received the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence.

'The Simpsons Movie' earns big Doh! By GARY GENTILE, Associated Press Writer

'The Simpsons Movie' earns big Doh! By GARY GENTILE, Associated Press Writer
56 minutes ago



LOS ANGELES - Woo Hoo! "The Simpsons Movie" turned doughnuts into dollars over the weekend, raking in $71.9 million to debut as the top movie this week.

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The big screen tale of the lovable, if dysfunctional, family rolled over the competition, sending last week's top movie, Universal Studio's "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," into second place with $19 million, a 44 percent drop.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," from Warner Bros., fell to third place with $17.1 million, a 48 percent drop from last week. The film has grossed $242 million domestically after three weeks in theaters.

"Homer's odyssey paid off," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

The film, which featured the antics of yellow-hued Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie and a host of motley characters, grossed an average of $18,320 on 3,922 screens across the country and also opened strongly in 70 foreign markets.

"We are ecstatic," said Chris Aronson, senior vice president for distribution at 20th Century Fox. "It far exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations."

The hand-drawn movie had the fifth best opening weekend of the year, beating such notable contenders as "Transformers," from Paramount, "Ghost Rider," from Sony Pictures and the computer-animated "Ratatouille," from The Walt Disney Co. and Pixar Animation Studios.

"It's unprecedented to have the longest-running sitcom of all time still on the air and have it also be the number one movie in theaters," Dergarabedian said.

Dergarabedian praised the film's marketing campaign, which included dressing a number of 7-Eleven stores around the country as Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience stores selling such Simpsons' favorites as Buzz Cola and Squishees.

The debut was good news for Fox, which also has done well this year with top-grossing films "Live Free or Die Hard" and "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer."

The long-awaited film version of the Fox Television show played well across the country and with all age brackets, Fox said Sunday, giving the distributor hope that it will hold its own against next week's big opener, "The Bourne Ultimatum," from Universal.

The stellar debut of "The Simpsons Movie" helped propel the summer box office take. This week's top-12 films grossed $168.6 million, up a whopping 45 percent from the top 12 last year, which included "Miami Vice" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

The weekend's other debuts made the top 10, but lagged far behind "The Simpsons Movie."

"No Reservations," the Warner Bros. romantic comedy starring Catherine Zeta-Jones as a gourmet chef, earned $11.8 million.

"I Know Who Killed Me," a Sony Pictures/Tri-Star thriller starring Lindsay Lohan, debuted in 9th place with a paltry $3.4 million.

"Who's Your Caddy," from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, grossed $2.9 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Simpsons Movie," $71.9 million.

2. "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry," $19.1 million.

3. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," $17.1 million.

4. "Hairspray," $15.6 million.

5. "No Reservations," $11.8 million.

6. "Transformers," $11.5 million.

7. "Ratatouille," $7.2 million.

8. "Live Free or Die Hard," $5.4 million.

9. "I Know Who Killed Me," $3.4 million.

10. "Who's Your Caddy," $2.9 million.

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On the Net:

http://www.mediabynumbers.com

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Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and Vivendi Universal; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news).; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox Atomic are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros., New Line, Warner Independent and Picturehouse are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lionsgate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.

Company sinks teeth into dog time shares By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer

Company sinks teeth into dog time shares By LISA LEFF, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 3 minutes ago



SAN FRANCISCO - From the state that popularized purse puppies, drive-thru dog washes and gourmet dog food delivery comes the latest in canine convenience — a company that contracts out dogs by the day to urbanites without the time or space to care for a pet full-time.

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Marlena Cervantes, founder of FlexPetz, bristles when people refer to her five-month-old business as a rent-a-pet service. She prefers the term "shared pet ownership," explaining the concept is more akin to a vacation time share or a gym membership than a trip to the video store.

"Our members are responsible in that they realize full-time ownership is not an option for them and would be unfair to the dog," said Cervantes, 32, a behavioral therapist who got the idea while working with pets and autistic children. "It prevents dogs from being adopted and then returned to the shelter by people who realize it wasn't a good fit."

FlexPetz is currently available in Los Angeles and San Diego, where Cervantes lives. She plans to open new locations in San Francisco next month, New York in September and London by the end of the year.

For an annual fee of $99.95, a monthly payment of $49.95 and a per-visit charge of $39.95 a day, (discounted to $24.95 Sunday through Thursday), animal lovers who enroll in FlexPetz get to spend time with a four-legged companion from Cervantes' 10-dog crew of Afghan hounds, Labrador retrievers and Boston terriers.

The membership costs cover the expense of training and boarding the dogs, home or office delivery, collar-sized global positioning devices, veterinary bills and liability insurance. It also pays for the "care kits" — comprised of leashes, bowls, beds and pre-measured food — that accompany each dog on its visits.

Charter FlexPetz member Shari Gonzalez said she was thinking about getting a dog when a dog trainer she consulted suggested part-time ownership. At first, she had reservations.

Gonzalez, 22, never doubted there was room for a dog in her heart. The issue was her life, which included a small, two-bedroom apartment and a full-time schedule of college classes in San Diego.

"I was thinking, 'How is a dog going to bounce from house to house and be OK with that,'" she said. "I didn't want a dog that would come into my place and pee."

Since signing up, Gonzalez said she has tried out several dogs but fell in love with a black Lab named Jackpot. They spend an average of one day each weekend together. He sleeps at her apartment and she takes him on hikes, to the beach and to parks frequented by other dog owners.

"I never even thought that was a possibility," Gonzalez said. "I thought you either owned a dog or you didn't."

Gonzalez recently met another of Jackpot's part-time companions, graphic designer Jenny Goddard, 33. Goddard, who is married with a 6-year-old son, said having a dog a weekend or two a month has been perfect for her busy family and encourages them to spend more time together outdoors.

"It's funny," she said. "He is so friendly and immediately playful with us, people are surprised he is a rental dog."

The idea of commitment-free pets is not entirely new. Most private animal shelters, for instance, encourage volunteers to become temporary foster families to animals awaiting adoption.

Melissa Bain, a veterinarian with the Companion Animal Behavior Program at the University of California at Davis, said she had concerns but no hard-and-fast objections to a service like FlexPetz.

"It depends on the people and it depends on the animal," Bain said. "Some dogs may be fine and some may become stressed because they are moving from home to home."

Abe vows to stay after election defeat By HIROKO TABUCHI, Associated Press Writer

Abe vows to stay after election defeat By HIROKO TABUCHI, Associated Press Writer
25 minutes ago



TOKYO - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe led his scandal-stained ruling coalition to an unexpectedly severe defeat in parliamentary elections Sunday, a stunning reversal of fortune for a party that has controlled Japan virtually uninterrupted since 1955. Despite the humiliating setback, Abe vowed to stay in office.

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Official election results released Monday showed Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, New Komeito, losing their majority in the 242-seat upper house. The two retained 103 seats, a 30-seat loss well short of the 122 needed to control the chamber.

The leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan made huge gains in the race for the 121 contested seats. It now has 112 seats, up from 81.

It would be unusual for a prime minister to step down after an upper-house defeat. But calls for Abe's resignation from within his own party are expected to grow.

Looking grim and chastened, the prime minister called the results "severe" but dismissed questions about whether he should resign. He was expected to meet with New Komeito leader Akihiro Ota later Monday to confirm their partnership.

"I must push ahead with reforms and continue to fulfill my responsibilities as prime minister," Abe said at his party's headquarters. "The responsibility for this utter defeat rests with me."

LDP's loss in the less-powerful upper house would not immediately threaten its political grip because it controls the lower chamber, which chooses the prime minister. But the defeat could make it more difficult for the LDP to pass bills, while enlivening policy debates.

Abe dismissed opposition calls for an election for the lower house to test his mandate.

"The nation has spoken very clearly," Democratic Party of Japan leader Naoto Kan told reporters. "Naturally, our sights are on the lower house and our final goal is a change in government."

Japan's largest newspaper, Yomiuri, on Monday called the results, "a major blow to the Abe government," and added: "The results would largely affect Prime Minister Abe's political management and parliamentary operation."

Asahi, another major paper, declared "The prime minister should face the results seriously and step down."

Abe's top lieutenant, party No. 2 Hidenao Nakagawa, said late Sunday he would step down to take responsibility for the party's setback.

"If the results are as projected, we have suffered an utter defeat," Nakagawa said hours after the polls closed.

Abe is considering reshuffling the Cabinet and party leadership in late August, Kyodo News agency reported, citing unnamed aides.

"Our party must reflect on the results and rebuild itself," Yoichi Masuzoe, who retained his LDP seat, said early Monday, urging Abe to "form a well-balanced and strong Cabinet" in the expected reshuffle.

Abe, 52, took office in September as Japan's youngest-ever prime minister, promising to build a "beautiful Japan," and won points for mending strained diplomatic ties with South Korea and China.

But his honeymoon was short-lived.

In the first in a series of scandals, Administrative Reform Minister Genichiro Sata stepped down in December over charges of misusing of political funds. In May, Abe's agriculture minister killed himself amid allegations he also misused public money. The new agriculture minister became embroiled in another funds scandal.

The government was severely criticized again last month when Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma suggested the 1945 U.S. nuclear bombings of Japan were justified. Public outcry led to Kyuma's speedy departure.

Perhaps the final straw for voters was Abe's brushing off warnings by the opposition late last year that pension records had been lost. That inaction came back to haunt him in the spring, when the full scope of the records losses emerged. Some 50 million claims had been wiped out.

"I don't like Abe or the LDP. I don't get the feeling things have gotten better," said Masayoshi Miyazaki, 58, a Tokyo retiree, after polls closed.

Party officials said last week they would keep Abe no matter what happens, and resigning in the face of a heavy election defeat is rare, but not unprecedented.

In 1998, then-Prime Minster Ryutaro Hashimoto was forced to step down after the Liberal Democratic Party won just 44 seats out of 121. Sousuke Uno lost his job as prime minister after winning only 36 seats in 1989. Abe himself resigned as secretary-general of the party in 2004, when the Liberal Democrats won 49 seats, two short of their goal.

Some unconventional candidates from outside the two major parties also fared badly Sunday. Alberto Fujimori, the former Peruvian authoritarian leader; Yuko Tojo, the granddaughter of the executed wartime general who ordered the attack on Pearl Harbor; and the popular inventor Dr. Nakamats were all headed for defeat, according to projections.

_____

Associated Press writers Chisaki Watanabe, Hans Greimel and Eric Talmadge contributed to this report.

Montana fire spreads nearly unchecked By SARAH COOKE, Associated Press Writer

Montana fire spreads nearly unchecked By SARAH COOKE, Associated Press Writer
29 minutes ago



HELENA, Mont. - Hot, dry and windy weather helped a wildfire near Glacier National Park grow to roughly 5,000 acres on Sunday and continue to threaten an evacuated lodge.

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The blaze had grown from 1,000 acres a day earlier and was just 2 percent contained, fire information officer Dale Warriner said. The fire was running into heavy timber.

On Sunday, authorities reopened a highway near the park in northwestern Montana, but they warned that U.S. 2 could be closed again if the blaze flared up.

Guests and 18 workers at the Summit Station Lodge along the highway remained evacuated as flames burned within a mile, owner Jorge Simental said. The number of guests was not immediately available.

Fire crews were protecting the lodge and tearing down some trees that were close to cabins, he said.

No other structures were threatened, but officials in Pondera County asked residents of Heart Butte to be prepared to evacuate if needed. The community of about 700 people is 18 miles southeast of the blaze.

"We're not going to call for an evacuation until it gets within 10 miles, so we've got some time," said Clete Gregory, the county's disaster and emergency services director.

"We just don't want to have to pull a surprise on everyone in the middle of the night," he said.

Near-record heat and low humidity also fueled blazes elsewhere in Montana, with similar conditions forecast for Monday.

A fire north of Helena was keeping people away from recreation areas and homes. The blaze, which had charred nearly 10 square miles, was 10 percent contained on Sunday, fire managers said.

Elsewhere, a dozen homes were ordered evacuated Sunday in California's Santa Barbara County as a massive wildfire burned across 1,500 new acres, continuing a growth spurt for the nearly month-old blaze that had appeared to be standing still.

Warm and very dry weather during the night allowed the fire to burn through old, heavy trees in the Los Padres National Forest on its uncontained southeast side, officials said. The blaze has charred about 32,000 acres, or 50 square miles, since it started July 4 and was 70 percent contained Sunday.

An evacuation order was issued for the Peachtree Community, about 12 homes spread over a wide area of the forest. Smoke drifted over Santa Barbara more than 40 miles away and was reported in Bakersfield some 80 miles away, officials said.

Residents of another 200 homes were told to be prepared to flee at short notice,

A 1,030-square-mile fire in southern Idaho and northern Nevada was 86 percent contained and was near full containment, officials said.

Afghan leaders: Free female hostages By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer

Afghan leaders: Free female hostages By JASON STRAZIUSO, Associated Press Writer
37 minutes ago



KABUL, Afghanistan - Political and religious leaders invoked Afghan and Islamic traditions of chivalry and hospitality Sunday in attempts to shame the Taliban into releasing 18 female South Korean captives.

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A purported Taliban spokesman shrugged off the demands and instead set a new deadline for the hostages' lives, saying the hardline militants could kill one or all of the 22 captives if the government does not release 23 militant prisoners by 3:30 a.m. EDT Monday. Several earlier deadlines passed without killings.

A leader of the group was shot and killed on Wednesday but it was unclear why.

Afghan officials reported no progress in talks with tribal elders to secure freedom for the hostages. Their church has said the Koreans were in the country to provide medical and volunteer services.

In his first comments since 23 Koreans were abducted on July 19, Afghan President Hamid Karzai criticized the Taliban's kidnapping of "foreign guests," especially women, as contrary to the tenets of Islam and national traditions.

"The perpetration of this heinous act on our soil is in total contempt of our Islamic and Afghan values," Karzai told a South Korean envoy during a meeting at the presidential palace, according to a statement from his office.

Echoing Karzai's words, Afghanistan's national council of clerics said the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, taught that no one has the right to kill women.

"Even in the history of Afghanistan, in all its combat and fighting, Afghans respected women, children and elders," the council said. "The killing of women is against Islam, against the Afghan culture, and they shouldn't do it."

And a former Taliban commander and current lawmaker who has joined the negotiations, Abdul Salaam Rocketi, said the government policy was that the "women should be released first."

But the Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, instead invoked the religious tenet of "an eye for an eye," alleging that Western militaries are holding Afghan females at bases in Bagram and Kandahar, and saying that the Taliban can do the same. He said the Taliban could detain and kill "women, men or children."

"It might be a man or a woman. ... We may kill one, we may kill two, we may kill one of each (gender), two of each, four of each," Ahmadi told The Associated Press by satellite phone from an unknown location. "Or we may kill all of them at once."

Ahmadi said the militant group had given a list of 23 insurgent prisoners it wants released to government officials, and that if they weren't freed by midday Monday hostages would be killed.

The South Koreans were kidnapped while traveling by bus on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, Afghanistan's main thoroughfare. Their church has said the captives were not involved in Christian missionary work in Afghanistan, but that it will suspend some of its volunteer work there.

Two days of meetings between elders of Qarabagh district in Ghazni province, where the South Korean hostages were kidnapped, and a delegation of senior officials from Kabul yielded no results so far, said Shirin Mangal, spokesman for the Ghazni provincial governor.

The meeting was being held behind closed doors, and Mangal did not divulge any details.

In his meeting with Karzai, Korean presidential envoy Baek Jong-chun thanked the president for the Afghan government's help and said South Korea will respect the government's way of ending the crisis, according to Karzai's office.

Pope Benedict XVI also called for the hostages' release, saying the perpetrators should "desist from the evil they have carried out and give back their victims unharmed."

Cities sue gangs in bid to stop violence By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writer

Cities sue gangs in bid to stop violence By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writer
41 minutes ago



FORT WORTH, Texas - Fed up with deadly drive-by shootings, incessant drug dealing and graffiti, cities nationwide are trying a different tactic to combat gangs: They're suing them.

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Fort Worth and San Francisco are among the latest to file lawsuits against gang members, asking courts for injunctions barring them from hanging out together on street corners, in cars or anywhere else in certain areas.

The injunctions are aimed at disrupting gang activity before it can escalate. They also give police legal reasons to stop and question gang members, who often are found with drugs or weapons, authorities said. In some cases, they don't allow gang members to even talk to people passing in cars or to carry spray paint.

"It is another tool," said Kevin Rousseau, a Tarrant County assistant prosecutor in Fort Worth, which recently filed its first civil injunction against a gang. "This is more of a proactive approach."

But critics say such lawsuits go too far, limiting otherwise lawful activities and unfairly targeting minority youth.

"If you're barring people from talking in the streets, it's difficult to tell if they're gang members or if they're people discussing issues," said Peter Bibring, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. "And it's all the more troubling because it doesn't seem to be effective."

Civil injunctions were first filed against gang members in the 1980s in the Los Angeles area, a breeding ground for gangs including some of the country's most notorious, such as the Crips and 18th Street.

The Los Angeles city attorney's suit in 1987 against the Playboy Gangster Crips covered the entire city but was scaled back after a judge deemed it too broad.

Chicago tried to target gangs by enacting an anti-loitering ordinance in 1992 but the U.S. Supreme Court struck it down in 1999, saying it gave police the authority to arrest without cause.

Since then, cities have used injunctions to target specific gangs or gang members, and so far that strategy has withstood court challenges.

Los Angeles now has 33 permanent injunctions involving 50 gangs, and studies have shown they do reduce crime, said Jonathan Diamond, a spokesman for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.

The injunctions prohibit gang members from associating with each other, carrying weapons, possessing drugs, committing crimes and displaying gang symbols in a safety zone — neighborhoods where suspected gang members live and are most active. Some injunctions set curfews for members and ban them from possessing alcohol in public areas — even if they're of legal drinking age.

Those who disobey the order face a misdemeanor charge and up to a year in jail. Prosecutors say the possibility of a jail stay — however short — is a strong deterrent, even for gang members who've already served hard time for other crimes.

"Seven months in jail is a big penalty for sitting on the front porch or riding in the car with your gang buddies," said Kinley Hegglund, senior assistant city attorney for Wichita Falls.

Last summer, Wichita Falls sued 15 members of the Varrio Carnales gang after escalating violence with a rival gang, including about 50 drive-by shootings in less than a year in that North Texas city of 100,000.

Since then, crime has dropped about 13 percent in the safety zone and real estate values are climbing, Hegglund said.

Other cities hope for similar results.

San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera sued four gangs in June after an "explosion" in gang violence, seven months after filing the city's first gang-related civil injunction.

Fort Worth sued 10 members of the Northcide Four Trey Gangsta Crips in May after two gang members were killed in escalating violence, said Assistant City Attorney Chris Mosley.

"Our hope is that these defendants will be scared into compliance just by having these injunctions against them," Mosley said.

However, some former gang members say such legal maneuvers wouldn't have stopped them.

Usamah Anderson, 30, of Fort Worth, said he began stealing cars and got involved with gangs as a homeless 11-year-old. He was arrested numerous times for theft and spent time in juvenile facilities.

Anderson says if a civil injunction had been in place then, he and his friends would have simply moved outside the safety zone.

"That's the life you live, so you're going to find a way to maneuver around it," said Anderson, a truck driver who abandoned the gang life about seven years ago and has started a church to help young gang members.

The ACLU and other critics of gang injunctions favor community programs. The Rev. Jack Crane, pastor of Truevine Missionary Baptist Church in Fort Worth, is helping Anderson's group provide gang members with counseling, shoes and other resources needed to help them escape that life.

"We don't want to lose another generation," Crane said.

Some residents in the Fort Worth safety zone say they feel better with the injunction in place.

Phoebe Picazo, who recently moved to the city to care for her elderly parents, said she hears gunfire almost every night.

"This has always been a quiet community with a lot of seniors, but now we're having to keep our doors locked," Picazo said. "With the injunction, I feel better for my folks."

More in GOP want Iraq military limits By ANNE FLAHERTY and KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writers

More in GOP want Iraq military limits By ANNE FLAHERTY and KIMBERLY HEFLING, Associated Press Writers
30 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Republicans increasingly are backing a new approach in the Iraq war that could become the party's mantra come September. It would mean narrowly limited missions for U.S. troops in Iraq but let President Bush decide when troops should leave.

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So far, the idea has not attracted the attention of Democratic leaders. They are under substantial pressure by anti-war groups to consider only legislation that orders troops from Iraq.

But the GOP approach quickly is becoming the attractive alternative for Republican lawmakers who want to challenge Bush on the unpopular war without backtracking from their past assertions that it would be disastrous to set deadlines for troop withdrawals.

"This is a necessary adjustment in the national debate to reintroduce bipartisanship, to stop the `gotcha' politics that are going on that seem to be driven by fringes on both sides and change the terms of the discussion," said Rep. Phil English, R-Pa.

English is among the more than 40 Republicans in the House and Senate who are sponsoring legislation intended to shift the mission of U.S. troops. Several other GOP lawmakers, facing tight elections next year and a strong anti-war sentiment in their districts, say they are considering this approach.

"Settling Sunni-Shiite rivalries over who occupies what street in Baghdad is not in the vital interest of the United States," said Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., who said she is considering her options. "And we should only have Americans in harms' way where there are U.S. interests at stake."

Bush's top military commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, is expected to tell Congress in September that more time is needed to determine whether a massive U.S.-led security push initiated in January is working.

The message is unlikely to be well received on Capitol Hill. Democrats have criticized the strategy as escalating a failing war; Republicans say they want to see progress made by fall.

GOP support has proved crucial to Bush in stalling anti-war proposals in the Democratic-run Congress. Legislation ordering U.S. troops out of Iraq has passed repeatedly in the House only to sink in the Senate, where Republicans threaten a filibuster and Democrats fall short of the 60 votes needed to cut off debate.

House Democrats plan to try again this week with a bill that would begin a pullout this fall. Republicans are expected to overwhelmingly oppose it.

If Bush cannot convince GOP lawmakers by September that he is on the right track, more Republicans are expected to demand change.

But many of them, long on record as opposing an end date for combat, say it makes sense to focus on the mission instead. Yet this approach would amount to a de facto mandate for troop withdrawals because of the large number of forces assigned to combat missions.

The goal, they say, is to end the U.S.-led daily patrols in the streets of Baghdad and restrict troops to fighting al-Qaida terrorists and training Iraq security forces.

"If you do that you've greatly reduced the loss of life, which is what matters most," said Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del.

The idea of forcing such a change gained prominence last December when the Iraq Study Group concluded Bush should do more to hand over the combat mission to Iraqi forces.

The bipartisan commission envisioned an ambitious and new diplomatic push, with U.S. troops remaining in the region primarily to supply and train the Iraqi army and to target terrorist cells.

Since then, some 40 Republicans and 31 Democrats have signed on to legislation by Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., that urges Bush to embrace the commission's recommendations.

A much smaller, though growing number of Republicans supports requiring that Bush submit to Congress a detailed, new military strategy to change the mission of U.S. troops.

In the past week, Castle and English agreed to co-sponsor the legislation by Democratic Reps. Neil Abercrombie of Hawaii and John Tanner of Tennessee.

Sens. John Warner, R-Va., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind., have proposed similar legislation.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, a co-sponsor of Salazar's legislation on the Iraq Study Group, wants to go further: binding legislation that would order Bush to restrict the mission of U.S. troops to counterterrorism, training Iraqis and protecting U.S. assets.

The goal, she says, is to "set the stage for a significant but responsible withdrawal of American combat troops over the next year."

For most of these lawmakers, their decision to embrace change is colored by politics.

Collins is seen by Democratic challengers as particularly vulnerable in the 2008 elections because of the overwhelmingly anti-war sentiment among Maine voters.

English faces an anti-war, anti-incumbent sentiment among Pennsylvania voters, who in 2006 ousted four GOP House members and Republican Sen. Rick Santorum.

Wilson's fellow Republican from New Mexico, Sen. Pete Domenici, recently broke with Bush on Iraq and embraced Salazar's proposal.

Castle was among a dozen lawmakers challenged in an ad campaign in May featuring three retired generals saying politicians cannot expect to win re-election if they support Bush's Iraq policy.

Iraqis bask in rare joy after soccer win By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer

Iraqis bask in rare joy after soccer win By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer
46 minutes ago



BAGHDAD - Tens of thousands of Iraqis from the Shiite south to the Kurdish-dominated north poured into the usually treacherous streets Sunday to celebrate a rare moment of joy and unity when the national team won Asia's most prestigious soccer tournament.

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The revelers spanning the country's sectarian and ethnic divisions danced, sang and waved flags and posters of the team after Iraq beat three-time champion Saudi Arabia 1-0 to take the Asian Cup.

Chants of "Long live Iraq" and "Baghdad is victorious" rang out across the country as Iraqis basked in national pride. Some of the revelers — mostly men — took their shirts off to display the red, white and black colors of the Iraqi flag painted on their chests.

Reporters of the state Iraqiya television wrapped themselves with the national flag as they interviewed people celebrating in the streets. Some joined in the chanting.

Within seconds of the final whistle, celebratory gunfire echoed across Baghdad and elsewhere despite a government ban and the threat of arrest by authorities.

At least four people were killed and scores wounded by the gunfire. But as night fell on the country, there were no reports of bombings such as those that killed at least 50 and wounded dozens in Baghdad during celebrations of Iraq's semifinal win over South Korea on Wednesday.

Authorities said they foiled a potential car bomber in southwestern Baghdad after he refused to stop at a checkpoint and appeared headed toward a crowd of revelers. Iraqi authorities had banned vehicles in and around the capital from shortly before the game began until early Monday to prevent a repeat of last week's violence.

"The victory of our Iraqi soccer team is a wonderful gift to Iraqis who have been suffering from the killing, car bombs, abductions and other violent acts," said Falah Ibrahim, a 44-year-old resident of Baghdad's predominantly Shiite Sadr City district.

Sunday's dramatic win capped a three-week campaign by Iraqi team, nicknamed "The Lions of the Two Rivers." Iraqis were captivated and spoke of hope, even as years of violence and sectarian strife have many asking if ethnically and religiously divided Iraq can survive as one nation.

The team's players do not live in Iraq and earn their wages playing for teams across the Middle East. Because of tenuous security at home, wars and U.N. sanctions, the team had not played a home game in 17 years and must train and practice abroad.

"We are celebrating because this team represents all Iraqi sects," said Awas Khalid, one of the thousands of Kurds who celebrated the win in the city of Sulaimaniyah in the Kurdish north, where secessionist sentiment has been on the rise.

"This team is for everyone," Khalid said, as revelers around him waved Iraqi and Kurdish flags and chanted "Baghdad is victorious" in Arabic instead of their native Kurdish language.

The mixed makeup of the winning national team was interpreted by many Iraqis as proof that politicians are more concerned with their narrow sectarian agendas than national interest, thus preventing reconciliation among rival factions.

"The politicians have divided us and these athletes united us," said 24-year-old Shiite Tareq Yassin, taking a break from dancing with hundreds of people in the streets of Amin, a southeastern Baghdad neighborhood. "I am usually very shy. Today, I forgot my shyness and everything else and I could only think of Iraq."

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki tried to use the team's success to shore up support for his embattled government.

During Sunday's final, state television reported that he would reward every player with a $10,000 bonus. Soon after the final whistle, the station reported that al-Maliki was congratulating team members on the telephone. But live coverage showed the entire squad celebrating on the pitch.

Al-Maliki later issued a statement on the team's win in flowery Arabic.

"There is a big difference between The Lions of the Two Rivers who struggle to put a smile on the faces of their people and those who work in dark corners strewing death and sorrow in the paths of innocent people. We are proud of you. You deserve all our love and respect," it said.

President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, ordered an additional $10,000 reward for the players and twice that for Sunday's goal scorer Younis Mahmoud, a Sunni Arab, who scored on a pass from Mulla Mohammed, the team's only Kurdish player.

Even Iraq's squabbling political factions set aside their disputes, if only temporarily.

The largest Sunni Arab bloc said it would delay a planned response in its war of words with the Shiite-dominated government to avoid poisoning the joyous atmosphere.

The Accordance Front has suspended its membership in al-Maliki's government and threatened to quit altogether this week if the prime minister does not meet certain demands. The government said the move amounted to blackmail and that the Sunni bloc had helped create some of the very policies it now criticized.

Accordance Front spokesman Salim Abdullah said his group would issue a reply on Monday "because we don't want anything to spoil the day's joy for the people of Iraq."

Its demands include a pardon for security detainees not charged with specific crimes, a firm commitment by the government to uphold human rights, the disbanding of militias and the inclusion of all parties as the government deals with Iraq's chaotic security environment.

Most of the team's other players are Shiites, and Shiites back home had lightheartedly dubbed Sunday's game against the Sunni-dominated Saudis an "Ali vs Omar" encounter. That played on the belief among some Shiites that Omar Ibn al-Khatab, the second Muslim caliphate, usurped power from Ali Ibn Abi-Taleb, a cousin of the 7th century Prophet Muhammad and Shiism's most revered saint.

But any links between the soccer game and Iraq's sectarian violence Sunday remained largely tenuous, with national pride, joy and hope the overwhelming sentiments.

In northern Iraq, gunmen opened fire on shoppers in a Shiite Turkomen village near the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, killing seven people and wounding six, police said.

Two U.S. soldiers also were killed — one by small-arms fire north of Baghdad and another in fighting in an eastern section of the capital, the military said.

In Najaf, the Shiite holy city south of Baghdad, 31-year-old teacher Mohammed Hussein said that Sunday's joy would be short-lived.

"The Iraqi team has brought joy and victory," he said. "We are happy, but this will not last long because the politicians will bring us back to disputes and sadness tomorrow."

___

Associated Press writers Sameer N. Yacoub and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad and Yahya Barzanji in Sulaimaniyah contributed to this report.

Bush, Brown seek to establish rapport By DAVID STRINGER and BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writers

Bush, Brown seek to establish rapport By DAVID STRINGER and BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writers
55 minutes ago



CAMP DAVID, Md. - President Bush, starting a new relationship late in his presidency, welcomed British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Sunday with casual diplomacy.

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In the tranquility of the Catoctin Mountains, Bush and Brown began their brief meeting — Sunday night and Monday — at Camp David, with an emphasis on private time between the two. Their substantive agenda is familiar: terror threats, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, crisis in Darfur, stalled trade.

Yet the overarching theme is rapport — and establishing some.

Bush is aiming for at least a solid relationship with Brown, shaped around their nations' mutual interests. That much is expected, but it is far from the kinship Bush had with Brown's predecessor, Tony Blair, who lost favor at home because of his close ties to Bush.

Brown arrived by helicopter at Camp David after booming thunderstorms gave way to sunshine. He emerged to find a military honor guard and Bush waiting for him.

"It's a great pleasure to be here at Camp David because there's so much history associated with it," Brown told Bush as the leaders exchanged small talk.

Bush drove the two of them away in a golf cart after doing a playful 360-degree maneuver in front of the gathered media. The two were off for a private dinner.

En route to the United States, the new British leader said the world is indebted to the United States for taking the lead in the fight against terrorism. Brown said he would use his visit to strengthen what Britain considers its "most important bilateral relationship."

London and Washington are focused on "the biggest single and immediate challenge the world has to defeat: global terrorism," Brown told reporters traveling with him.

"In this century it has fallen to America to take center stage," Brown said. "America has shown by the resilience and bravery of its people from Sept. 11 that while buildings can be destroyed, values are indestructible.

"And we should acknowledge the debt the world owes to the United States for its leadership in this fight against international terrorism," he said.

Brown denied speculation that Britain's relationship with the U.S. was cooling.

His predecessor, Blair, was often accused at home of being too compliant with the policies of President Bush, especially regarding the Iraq war. Some analysts have urged Brown to be more like Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, who had close ties with the U.S. but remained frank about their own goals and policies.

Brown makes his first major overseas trip buoyed by a surprising degree of public support after a first month in office in which he impressed with his sober handling of the terror plots in London and Glasgow.

Brown was joined on the flight by Foreign Secretary David Miliband, the youthful legislator he promoted last month to take charge of international policy. Miliband was meeting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for the first time in his new role, aiming, like Bush, to strike up an instant rapport with his counterpart.

Many observers expected Brown to flop because of a personality often derided as dour and brooding — yet these very traits have helped him appear serious and statesmanlike.

Britons actually seem pleased with the contrast to the kinetic Blair. But questions abound over whether the intellectual Brown will kindle Blair's chemistry with Bush.

Brown arrives with some thorny issues to manage, not least the fate of Britain's remaining soldiers in Iraq.

In Washington, officials expressed optimism about warm ties between Bush and Brown, but there has already been friction.

Junior foreign affairs minister Mark Malloch-Brown raised eyebrows in Washington recently when he said Bush and Brown would not be "joined at the hip" — a jab at Blair's close relationship with the U.S. president.

In London, The Sunday Times reported that Simon McDonald, Brown's chief foreign policy adviser, recently traveled to Washington to meet with U.S. officials ahead of the prime minister's visit and discussed the possibility of an early British military withdrawal from Iraq.

Brown's spokesman Michael Ellam told reporters on Sunday that McDonald had made it "very clear" to U.S. officials there had been no change to British government policy over Iraq. Military chiefs in London have said Britain is likely to hand over control of the southern Iraqi city of Basra to local forces by the end of the year.

Around 500 of Britain's 5,500 troops in Iraq are due to hand over the Basra Palace city center base within weeks, defense officials have said. Brown has not outlined plans for the remaining 5,000 personnel, stationed at an airport on the fringes of the city.

Ellam said there was no plan to withdraw British troops before the Iraqi army is deemed capable of maintaining security.

Other difficult issues include the American push to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, the Iran nuclear showdown, Darfur and the status of the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo.

Aides said the British leader aimed to secure Bush's help in restarting the stalled Doha rounds of World Trade Organization talks, which seek to help poorer countries develop their economies through new trade. He also wanted to discuss a stiffer international response to the violence in Sudan's Darfur region.

__

Feller reported from Camp David, Md; Stringer reported from aboard Gordon Brown's plane.

New British prime minister at Camp David By DAVID STRINGER and BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writers

New British prime minister at Camp David By DAVID STRINGER and BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writers
17 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Gordon Brown traveled to the United States on Sunday, saying he planned to use the official visit to strengthen what Britain already considers its "most important bilateral relationship."

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"It is a relationship that is founded on our common values of liberty, opportunity and the dignity of the individual," Brown said in a statement. "And because of the values we share, the relationship with the United States is not only strong, but can become stronger in the years ahead."

Brown, making his first visit to the U.S. as Britain's new leader, also denied speculation that the bilateral relationship was cooling.

His predecessor, Tony Blair, was often accused at home of being too compliant with the policies of President Bush, especially regarding the Iraq war. Some analysts have urged Brown to be more like Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, who had close ties with the U.S. but remained frank about their own goals and policies.

Brown makes his first major overseas trip buoyed by a surprising degree of public support after a first month in office in which he impressed with his sober handling of the terror plots in London and Glasgow.

Brown, who arrived at Andrews Air Force Base east of Washington just before 5 p.m. EDT, was traveling with British foreign secretary David Miliband.

The prime minister arrived by helicopter at Camp David about an hour later after booming thunderstorms gave way to sunshine. Bush met him and the two exchanged small talk.

"It's a great pleasure to be here at Camp David because there's so much history associated with it," Brown told Bush. Bush drove the two of them away in a golf cart after doing a playful 360-degree maneuver in front of the gathered media.

Many observers expected Brown to flop because of a personality often derided as dour and brooding — yet these very traits have helped him appear serious and statesmanlike.

Britons actually seem pleased with the contrast to the kinetic Blair. But questions abound over whether the intellectual Brown will kindle Blair's chemistry with Bush.

Brown arrives with some thorny issues to manage, not least the fate of Britain's remaining soldiers in Iraq.

In Washington, officials expressed optimism about warm ties between Bush and Brown, but there has already been friction.

Junior foreign affairs minister Mark Malloch-Brown raised eyebrows in Washington recently when he said Bush and Brown would not be "joined at the hip" — a jab at Blair's close relationship with the U.S. president.

In London, The Sunday Times reported that Simon McDonald, Brown's chief foreign policy adviser, recently traveled to Washington to meet with U.S. officials ahead of the prime minister's visit and discussed the possibility of an early British military withdrawal from Iraq.

Brown's spokesman Michael Ellam told reporters on Sunday that McDonald had made it "very clear" to U.S. officials there had been no change to British government policy over Iraq. Military chiefs in London have said Britain is likely to hand over control of the southern Iraqi city of Basra to local forces by the end of the year.

Around 500 of Britain's 5,500 troops in Iraq are due to hand over the Basra Palace city center base within weeks, defense officials have said. Brown has not outlined plans for the remaining 5,000 personnel, stationed at an airport on the fringes of the city.

Ellam said there was no plan to withdraw British troops before the Iraqi army is deemed capable of maintaining security.

Asked whether Brown intended to discuss with Bush plans for British troops once they withdraw to the fringes of the city, Ellam said: "Clearly decisions have to be made on all of these matters."

Other difficult issues include the American push to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, the Iran nuclear showdown, Darfur and the status of the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo.

Aides said the British leader aimed to secure Bush's help in restarting the stalled Doha rounds of World Trade Organization talks, which seek to help poorer countries develop their economies through new trade. He also wanted to discuss a stiffer international response to the violence in Sudan's Darfur region.

Cardinals help Cubs move in on Brewers By R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer

Cardinals help Cubs move in on Brewers By R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer
34 minutes ago



ST. LOUIS - The Milwaukee Brewers' NL Central lead is almost gone. Ryan Ludwick's bases-loaded walk broke an eighth-inning tie, Albert Pujols followed with a three-run double and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied from a five-run deficit to beat the Brewers 9-5 Sunday.

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Milwaukee, which led the division by 8 1/2 games before play on June 24, is just a half-game ahead of the Chicago Cubs, the Brewers' smallest margin in the Central since before play on April 22.

The defending World Series Cardinals are just six games back after trailing by 10 1/2 games at the end of June.

St. Louis closed to 5-4 in a four-run fifth inning, then went ahead in a five-run eighth against Derrick Turnbow (2-4) and Carlos Villanueva.

Scott Rolen tied the score with his 1,000th RBIs, hitting a one-out single following singles by pinch-hitter Skip Schumaker and Yadier Molina. David Eckstein's single, hit third hit of the game, loaded the bases and Villanueva relieved.

Ludwick, who drove in the go-ahead runs in both ends of Saturday's doubleheader, walked on a 3-2 pitch for a 6-5 lead. Pujols then broke open the game.

Ryan Franklin (4-0) pitched 1 2-3 scoreless innings as St. Louis won its third straight.

Milwaukee completed a 2-6 trip and has lost 11 of its last 14 road games, dropping to 21-32 away from Miller Park.

Cardinals starter Kip Wells allowed five runs and 11 hits in five innings. Milwaukee rookie Yovani Gallardo didn't allow a hit until the fifth, when he gave up four runs and four hits.

Ryan Braun's RBI single and Johnny Estrada's two-run single put the Brewers ahead in the third, and Gallardo had a two-run, two-out single in the fifth.

Scott Spiezio, activated from the 15-day disabled list before the game and playing for only the fifth time since June 26, doubled to start the fifth. Eckstein fouled off seven 0-2 pitches before lofting an RBI double, and the Cardinals added two more runs on Estrada's passed ball and Ludwick's groundout.

St. Louis loaded the bases with one out in the seventh against Scott Linebrink when Pujols was intentionally walked. Chris Duncan struck out and Jim Edmonds flied out.

Notes:@ Estrada is 7-for-15 against Wells. ... Brian Shouse worked a scoreless sixth for Milwaukee and has not allowed an earned run in his last 20 appearances covering 17 2-3 innings. ... The Cardinals lead the NL with 46 pinch hits.

Stewart wins again at the Brickyard By JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing Writer

Stewart wins again at the Brickyard By JENNA FRYER, AP Auto Racing Writer
4 minutes ago



INDIANAPOLIS - After years of torment, Tony Stewart has mastered his beloved hometown track.

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Stewart scored his second career victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, dominating Sunday at the place that caused him a decade of heartache and once even threatened his career.

But he found peace at the Brickyard with his electric 2005 breakthrough victory, and this time made it look easy. Stewart led a race-high 66 of the 160 laps, but was passed by 2003 winner Kevin Harvick on a restart with 20 to go.

He never panicked as he chased down Harvick, even taunting his friend over the radio. "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," he called. "Come get you some of this."

The two-time series champion closed onto Harvick's bumper and made at least two attempts to pass, only to be rebuffed as Harvick held tight. Stewart finally powered alongside of him with 10 to go, but Harvick wouldn't relent and the two Chevrolets touched as they drag-raced around the historic 2 1/2-mile oval.

Stewart held steady, surged into the lead, then seemingly put his orange No. 20 on cruise control for the final 25 miles. With six to go, his in-car camera caught him casually drinking from a water bottle with no hands on his steering wheel as he headed down the straightaway at more than 200 miles per hour.

"I just went down there on the restart and got real, real tight for some reason," Stewart said. "Kevin got by us and I knew after 15 laps I could get around him. So I was just trying to be patient, got a good run on him off of (Turn) 1 and got by him.

"That's a hard guy to race there. He's a clean guy. That's one of my best friends."

Stewart frantically pumped his fist through the window as he crossed the finish line at the only place in the world he's ever wanted to win. After a brief victory lap, he stopped his car on the Yard of Bricks, was embraced by his father, Nelson, and his Joe Gibbs Racing crew. The team then joined him for his celebratory fence climb.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who won the 2000 Indianapolis 500 in his only appearance, chased down Harvick to finish second — his best showing on an oval since leaving Formula One last summer.

"I don't think anyone had anything for Tony," Montoya said. "His car was way too fast. But second here at the Brickyard, it was awesome."

Jeff Gordon, the series points leader and four-time Brickyard winner, was third followed by Kyle Busch, pole-sitter Reed Sorenson and Mark Martin.

Harvick faded all the way to seventh after Stewart's race-winning pass. Jeff Burton, Dave Blaney and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top 10.

The victory made Stewart, the two-time series champion, the favorite for a third title. Six of the past nine Indy winners went on to win the Cup, including the last two, and Stewart himself did it in 2005.

Now he appears poised to rip off one of his trademark winning streaks. He won five of six races during the summer of 2005, closed last year with three wins in the final eight, and now has two in a row.

Stewart had a frustrating start to the season, losing at least four races he should have won, and didn't reach Victory Lane until the July 15 event in Chicago. He then took his momentum with him on an overdue vacation during NASCAR's final off weekend of the season, then reported to Indianapolis relaxed and ready to race for his second Indy win in three seasons.

It's a marked change from his earlier visits to the track, when Stewart would arrive irritable and on edge in his pursuit of the elusive victory. A native of nearby Columbus, Stewart came to Indy as a kid and dreamed of someday winning an Indianapolis 500.

He never did during a short but successful open-wheel career, then made a full-time switch to NASCAR and focused on winning the stock-car race at Indy. But he had his heart broken over and over here, including a 2002 near-miss that devastated him.

In his anger after exiting the car, he punched a photographer and had to beg boss Joe Gibbs not to fire him.

His desire to kiss the bricks never faded, and he often said he'd trade every win and every trophy for just one win at Indy. So when he finally did it in 2005, his celebration was an emotional release.

It freed him from the stress, and made for a playful, casual Stewart all weekend. He was funny and engaging, a big difference from the "Tony the Terrible" who normally patrolled this garage.

"This kid is — he's matured so much," crew chief Greg Zipadelli said. "He drove a phenomenal race today. I'm proud of him."

The race was not so kind to Jimmie Johnson, the defending race winner and Cup champion, or Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Johnson, who ended his own personal streak of poor performance by winning here last season, recovered from an early wreck only to slam into the wall when his tire erupted midway through the race. He had to frantically climb from his burning car as flames shot inside the cockpit.

"It's feast or famine here for us," Johnson said. "I'm OK. The impact wasn't bad. The flames had me nervous there inside the car and I lost some eyelashes and the side of my face got pretty hot."

Earnhardt led 33 laps early and appeared to be the only car capable of running with Stewart. But his handling eventually faded, and he dropped back to fifth place. That's where he was running when his motor failed, and Earnhardt wound up 34th.

It was a setback in his bid to make the Chase for the championship — he's fighting for the 12th and final qualifying spot, and is now locked into a tight battle with Kurt Busch, who finished 11th.

Vick's former coach unsure how he feels By GREGG BELL, AP Sports Writer

Vick's former coach unsure how he feels By GREGG BELL, AP Sports Writer
7 minutes ago



KIRKLAND, Wash. - Jim Mora is so shocked about Michael Vick being indicted on federal dogfighting charges, the former Falcons coach doesn't know how he should feel about his ex-quarterback.

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Mora, now the Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach and defensive backs coach after the Falcons fired him New Year's Day, has been in contact with Vick as he honors the NFL's mandate to stay away from Atlanta's training camp — and as Mora's replacement, Bobby Petrino, tries to shield Falcons players from their teammate's saga.

Mora said Sunday that he reached out to Vick a day before Vick pleaded not guilty last week to participating in a dogfighting ring that allegedly executed underperforming pit bulls by hanging, electrocution or other brutal means.

"We have a very good relationship. He and I exchanged text messages Wednesday. I just wanted to let him know that I was thinking about him," Mora said of Vick, whose dynamic play was a large reason why the Falcons reached the NFC championship game in the 2004 season.

"And that's not to condone what he supposedly did, at all. Just, on a human level, to let him know that I was here (for him).

"I think it's a real unfortunate situation, and I hope for the best for him. You obviously hope the charges aren't true," he said.

The seriousness of the accusations and the bond Mora and Vick formed in three seasons leave the former Falcons coach conflicted.

"You know, it's really tough for me to comment on what's going on with him, because I don't know how I feel about it. I go back and forth. I think you can understand that," Mora said on the first day of Seahawks training camp.

"It's a tough call, for me. I'm trying to keep my focus on my family and the Seattle Seahawks. And hopefully things play out down there how they are supposed to play out, for everybody."

Mora said Vick is quiet by nature — not exactly a man who fits the allegations of brutality surrounding "Bad Newz Kennels" on property Vick owned in Virginia.

"He plays in a flamboyant manner. But he's not a flamboyant person," Mora said of the 27-year-old Vick. "He doesn't dress flamboyantly. He doesn't hit all the night spots. He isn't out on the town. He's kind of a quiet, reserved kid.

"But I can just tell you this: He always carried himself in a very professional manner when he was around the Atlanta Falcons."

"Just like Dan Reeves (Atlanta's coach from 1997-2003) said, I never saw that side of him. What I saw was a real professional. A kid who cared about his teammates, who cared about people in general, who was a hard worker, who was always there and always on time.

"And once again, he is accused of things. He hasn't been convicted. I didn't ever seen anything that indicated that side of him."

Neither did Patrick Kerney. He was Vick's teammate since the quarterback came into the league in 2001, one whom Kerney said he knew "as much as you can know someone who's quiet."

"Yeah, I certainly wouldn't have expected that," he said, pausing to shake his head in disbelief. "It's quite a circus."

Kerney, who was the Seahawks biggest defensive offseason acquisition, thinks the Falcons will be fine with Joey Harrington, or anybody else, as their starting quarterback this season.

"There's so many great strong-character guys on that team that I know they have the leadership to ignore what is going on on the outside," Kerney said. "They will even be able to use that as a motivator, I think."

Did Kerney ever hear talk of dogfighting in the Falcons locker room — or anywhere else?

"No. Didn't even know it existed," he said.

"Thought it was a myth."

New British prime minister at Camp David By DAVID STRINGER and BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writers

New British prime minister at Camp David By DAVID STRINGER and BEN FELLER, Associated Press Writers
10 minutes ago



WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Gordon Brown traveled to the United States on Sunday, saying he planned to use the official visit to strengthen what Britain already considers its "most important bilateral relationship."

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"It is a relationship that is founded on our common values of liberty, opportunity and the dignity of the individual," Brown said in a statement. "And because of the values we share, the relationship with the United States is not only strong, but can become stronger in the years ahead."

Brown, making his first visit to the U.S. as Britain's new leader, also denied speculation that the bilateral relationship was cooling.

His predecessor, Tony Blair, was often accused at home of being too compliant with the policies of President Bush, especially regarding the Iraq war. Some analysts have urged Brown to be more like Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Winston Churchill, who had close ties with the U.S. but remained frank about their own goals and policies.

Brown makes his first major overseas trip buoyed by a surprising degree of public support after a first month in office in which he impressed with his sober handling of the terror plots in London and Glasgow.

Brown, who arrived at Andrews Air Force Base east of Washington just before 5 p.m. EDT, was traveling with British foreign secretary David Miliband.

The prime minister arrived by helicopter at Camp David about an hour later after booming thunderstorms gave way to sunshine. Bush met him and the two exchanged small talk.

"It's a great pleasure to be here at Camp David because there's so much history associated with it," Brown told Bush. Bush drove the two of them away in a golf cart after doing a playful 360-degree maneuver in front of the gathered media.

Many observers expected Brown to flop because of a personality often derided as dour and brooding — yet these very traits have helped him appear serious and statesmanlike.

Britons actually seem pleased with the contrast to the kinetic Blair. But questions abound over whether the intellectual Brown will kindle Blair's chemistry with Bush.

Brown arrives with some thorny issues to manage, not least the fate of Britain's remaining soldiers in Iraq.

In Washington, officials expressed optimism about warm ties between Bush and Brown, but there has already been friction.

Junior foreign affairs minister Mark Malloch-Brown raised eyebrows in Washington recently when he said Bush and Brown would not be "joined at the hip" — a jab at Blair's close relationship with the U.S. president.

In London, The Sunday Times reported that Simon McDonald, Brown's chief foreign policy adviser, recently traveled to Washington to meet with U.S. officials ahead of the prime minister's visit and discussed the possibility of an early British military withdrawal from Iraq.

Brown's spokesman Michael Ellam told reporters on Sunday that McDonald had made it "very clear" to U.S. officials there had been no change to British government policy over Iraq. Military chiefs in London have said Britain is likely to hand over control of the southern Iraqi city of Basra to local forces by the end of the year.

Around 500 of Britain's 5,500 troops in Iraq are due to hand over the Basra Palace city center base within weeks, defense officials have said. Brown has not outlined plans for the remaining 5,000 personnel, stationed at an airport on the fringes of the city.

Ellam said there was no plan to withdraw British troops before the Iraqi army is deemed capable of maintaining security.

Asked whether Brown intended to discuss with Bush plans for British troops once they withdraw to the fringes of the city, Ellam said: "Clearly decisions have to be made on all of these matters."

Other difficult issues include the American push to build a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, the Iran nuclear showdown, Darfur and the status of the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo.

Aides said the British leader aimed to secure Bush's help in restarting the stalled Doha rounds of World Trade Organization talks, which seek to help poorer countries develop their economies through new trade. He also wanted to discuss a stiffer international response to the violence in Sudan's Darfur region.