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Soldier accused in prisoner beating comes home DAVID B. CARUSO Associated Press PHILADELPHIA It has been a bittersweet homecoming for Shawna Edmondson, one of four U.S. soldiers accused of beating prisoners of war at a detention camp in Iraq.The 24-year-old University of Scranton student and security guard quietly returned Friday to a hometown that rallied behind her when she and other members of her Ashley-based Army Reserve unit were charged with abuse and misconduct.Edmondson, who accepted a demotion and a discharge rather than face a court martial, said her welcome in northeast Pennsylvania has been warm, but mixed. Amid the...

WASHINGTON - When an influential group of conservatives gathers in downtown Washington each week, they often get a political pep talk from a senior Bush administration official or campaign aide. They don't expect a fellow Republican to deliver a blistering critique of President Bush (news - web sites)'s handling of the Iraq (news - web sites) war. But nearly 150 conservatives listened in silence recently as a veteran of the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations ticked off a litany of missteps in Iraq by the Bush White House. "This war is not going well," said Stefan Halper, a deputy assistant...