Gonzales: "I'm not going to resign"

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales vowed Thursday that he will not resign his post amid scrutiny over the ouster of eight federal prosecutors.

He spoke to the issue briefly following a round-table discussion at the Thomas Eagleton federal courthouse in St. Louis on efforts to keep children safe from sexual predators.

"I'm not going to resign. I'm going to stay focused on protecting our kids," he said. "There's a lot of work that needs to be done around the country."

Gonzales said he will voluntarily work with Congress on its investigation into the U.S. attorney firings. "No United States Attorney was fired for improper reasons. That's the message I'm going to deliver to Congress."

He said the Department of Justice is responsible for things including protecting children, making neighborhoods safe, protecting the nation from terrorism and fighting gangs and drug dealers.

"I'm staying focused on that," he said.

He cited achievements under his watch that have included reducing public corruption, enforcing civil rights and fighting against child predators.

Gonzales heard from several speakers, including U.S. Attorneys Catherine Hanaway and Bradley Schlozman, on efforts under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide program that began last year to protect children from sexual exploitation.

They told of efforts to not just to prosecute offenders, but to ramp up education of children and their families to better protect children from sexual predators, particularly by keeping children safe when they use the Internet.

Several speakers, including Sheriff Gary Toelke of Franklin County, also highlighted successes in finding two missing eastern Missouri boys, Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Ownby, in January and charging suspect Michael Devlin, 41, in the kidnapping and sexual assault cases.

Hanaway and Toelke credited a strong partnership between federal, state and local officials.

Steven Schankman, president of Contemporary Productions, a St. Louis-area business that produces entertainment events, spoke about the new INOBTR, or "I Know Better," effort in Missouri.

The program, which includes singer Nick Lachey as its celebrity spokesman, involves a new Web site with sections dedicated to teens, parents and teachers about Internet safety.

It includes tools like a glossary to help parents understand the abbreviations their children are using online. It also provides tips to help children understand how to protect themselves, and their personal information on the Internet.

A Lindbergh high school student, Katelyn Jones, 18, said Internet education could be helpful for young children. But she questioned whether the program is the best way to reach teens, who often want to link to as many "friends" as possible on socializing Internet sites.

Hanaway said she thought peer education, where teens trained on the issues warn others of Internet dangers, will be a helpful tool.

Gonzales said he'll be traveling the country to talk about protecting children from sexual abuse and a related public service campaign. He said he recently spent time with wounded soldiers. That, combined with the efforts to prevent childhood sexual abuse, has given him perspective, he said.

"It puts in perspective again the worries that other people in this country have," he said.