AP: "Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike are demanding to know why the Bush administration chose to release to Syria a terror suspect when several prosecutors and FBI agents had collected evidence for a possible criminal case. The circumstances surrounding Nabil al-Marabh's release, detailed in a recent Associated Press story, are 'of deep concern and appear to be a departure from an aggressive, proactive approach to the war on terrorism,' Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote Tuesday in a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft."

While Al-Queda operatives in the US plotted the deaths of thousands of Americans, John Ashcroft devoted more resources to persecuting people who offended his religious sensibilities than to protecting the US. For example, in the months leading up to the attack, he spent thousands of agent hours and hundreds of thousands in tax dollars on surveillance of three New Orleans hookers. Then after 9/11, while persecuting hundreds of innocent Muslims, he left even bigger holes in national security than existed before 9/11 in some areas. In a colossal act of hypocrisy, as he used a federal building to conduct prayer meetings every morning, he was trying to help Bush find ways to legally torture prisoners and deceive the public about it. It's time for Asscroft to GO!!! Join the movement!

"NBC News has learned that the commission has interviewed two FBI officials who contradict sworn testimony by Ashcroft, about whether he brushed off terrorism warnings in the summer of 2001... At issue is a July 5, 2001, meeting between Ashcroft and acting FBI Director Tom Pickard. That month, the threat of an al Qaeda attack was so high, the White House summoned the FBI and domestic agencies, and warned them to be on alert. Yet, Pickard testified to the 9/11 commission that when he tried to brief Ashcroft just a week later, on July 12, about the terror threat inside the United States, he got the brush-off... another senior FBI official tells NBC News he vividly recalls Pickard returning from the meeting that day furious that Ashcroft had cut short the terrorism briefing... [In addition, former head of the Criminal Division Ruben] Garcia confirmed to the commission that Ashcroft did indeed dismiss Pickard's warnings about al Qaeda." Prosecute Ashcroft for lying to the 911 Commission!

Paul Krugman writes, "Last week Mr. Ashcroft, apparently in contempt of Congress, refused to release a memo on torture his department prepared for the White House almost two years ago. Fortunately, his stonewalling didn't work: The Washington Post has acquired a copy of the memo and put it on its Web site. Much of the memo is concerned with defining torture down: if the pain inflicted on a prisoner is less than the pain that accompanies 'serious physical injury, such as organ failure,' it's not torture. Anyway, the memo declares that the federal law against torture doesn't apply to interrogations of enemy combatants 'pursuant to [the president's] commander-in-chief authority.' In other words, the president is above the law. The memo came out late Sunday. Mr. Ashcroft called a press conference yesterday - to announce an indictment against a man accused of plotting to blow up a shopping mall in Ohio. The timing was, I'm sure, purely coincidental. "

"Mr. Attorney General, I must speak frankly about an issue that has emerged as a basic problem during your tenure. There are two words that succinctly sum up the Justice Department's accountability and its cooperation with congressional oversight on your watch. Those two words are 'sparse' and 'grudging.' Even those of us who have served through several presidents cannot recall a worse performance record when it comes to responsiveness. Too often we on this Committee, on both sides of the aisle, get the sense that under your direction and example, the Justice Department and its agencies consider oversight by Congress to be nothing more than a nuisance."

Can anyone think of a WORSE time to issue a terrorist alert to US cities than the day before the long Memorial Day weekend? Many of the nation's strapped cities hope to bring in desperately needed revenue over the holiday. The last thing they needed was to start to mobilize for a terror alert - a very expensive process that would have entailed the instant canceling of thousands of first responders' holiday plans. Then, hours after issuing this alert, Ashcroft retracted it due to "bad intelligence." We suggest that US mayors send Ashcroft a bill for any lost revenue or mobilization costs and for the holiday plans that were inevitably trashed in those few hours. Then, after he pays up, he should be impeached and investigated!

Boston.com: "The Justice Department's Public Integrity Section is examining whether violations identified by the FEC warrant a full criminal investigation. If such a probe is launched, it could be handed to a special counsel to avoid conflicts of interest... The FEC determined in December that Ashcroft's former political action committee, Spirit of America, and his Senate reelection committee violated campaign finance laws by renting out a mailing list that resulted in an excessive, unreported $110,000 contribution. The two committees agreed to pay a $37,000 fine. But several watchdog groups, including the National Voting Rights Institute and Public Citizen, have been pushing for a broader investigation... 'Either Ashcroft owns the list or he doesn't. If he owns the list, then he didn't disclose it anywhere,' said Lisa Danetz, staff attorney for the National Voting Rights Institute. 'If he doesn't own it, then he was personally involved in a sham transaction.' "

Well, we'll bet everyone will sleep better tonight knowing that Ashcroft is making the world safe from peaceful activists! Yep our tireless top cop has decided to pursue Green Peace with a fanatical obsession, going so far as to concoct bizarre charges based on an extinct law from the 1800s. Their crime? As a protest, they boarded a ship loaded with 70 tons of illegal rainforest wood in a sort of "citizens arrest" gesture. Meanwhile, drug dealers are free to sail merrily to and fro and US ports remain woefully underprotected from REAL terrorists - the kind that may actually kill you. In fact, while Ashcroft spent vast sums to pursue Greenpeace, last fall, Homeland Security slashed port security budgets, right as the dangers were growing. (See: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3070685/

"Blaming her for the 'wall' is absurd in any event. The memo by Ms. Gorelick that Mr. Ashcroft branded as the culprit is not even mentioned in the history of impaired information-sharing that Mr. Ashcroft's department gave to the special court that finally lifted the barriers after 911. That court described the wall's origin as 'sometime in the 1980s -- the exact moment is shrouded in historical mist.' A set of procedures promulgated in 1995 codified the policy of keeping intelligence and law enforcement separate and significantly fortified the wall. But as the Justice Department's brief itself acknowledged, prosecutors knew long before those procedures were announced that they were not to direct intelligence activities or to use intelligence surveillance to develop criminal cases. And the Bush administration explicitly maintained the 1995 procedures before 911... In fact, Ms. Gorelick was an advocate of increased collaboration between spies and cops, not greater separation. "

Fred Kaplan asks: "Why did the 9/11 commissioners let John Ashcroft off the hook? As the attorney general took the stand, any viewer would have expected him to face a very big hook indeed. The evidence was mounting that, of all the negligent screw-ups in this tragic tale, Ashcroft may have been the most thoroughly negligent. Not only did the commissioners fail to lay a glove on the guy, they barely took a swing. Something weird is going on...Jim Thompson asked Ashcroft about Pickard's claim that he didn't want to hear any more briefings about counterterrorism. Ashcroft replied, 'I never said I didn't want to hear about counterterrorism.' That was the end of the exchange. No follow-up. Somebody's lying - Ashcroft or Pickard. The commission didn't seem bothered by that fact. "

Though hardly as much to blame for 9/11 as Ashcroft, Richard Clarke behaved like an ethical man, accepting his share of responsibility. Ashcroft by contrast, presented a litany of excuses, lies, smears, self-righteous exaggeration of his own positive role - everything but an acceptance of responsibility. His lies were inexplicable when they can be so easily disproven: his lack of emphasis on terrorism, his refusal of anti-terrorism funding requests from the FBI, and Clinton's dedication to preventing domestic terrorist attacks and going after Osama - all are heavily documented. Yet Ashcroft lied about them all. It made us ashamed that America's Justice System is represented by such a sorry excuse for a "leader."

Guardian, May 21 2002: " [Ashcroft] has accused his critics of undermining the fight against terrorism. But it is becoming clear that before September 11 he had little interest in counter-terrorism, and diverted resources from measures to prevent terrorism towards those aimed at more traditional targets, such as drugs and child pornography. In the late 90s the threat of a terrorist attack on US soil became a near obsession in the Clinton administration, particularly in the justice department under Janet Reno. But her successor had other ideas. On September 10 [2001]... Mr Ashcroft sent a request for budget increases to the White House. It covered 68 programmes, none of them related to counter-terrorism. He also sent a memorandum to his heads of departments, stating his seven priorities. Counter-terrorism was not on the list."

In February 2002, the NY Times reported on Ashcroft's suddenly changed priorities after 9/11: "In his Sept. 10 submission to the budget office, Mr. Ashcroft did not endorse F.B.I. requests for $58 million for 149 new counterterrorism field agents, 200 intelligence analysts and 54 additional translators." Instead, he actually "proposed cuts in 14 programs. One proposed $65 million cut was for a program that gives state and local counterterrorism grants for equipment, including radios and decontamination suits and training to localities for counterterrorism preparedness. In various listings of priorities for his department issued between May 10 and Aug. 9, made available to The New York Times by Congressional officials critical of Mr. Ashcroft, the attorney general did not single out counter-terrorism."

In his opening statement, sanctimonious Ashcroft tried to turn the tables and make it seem as if the commission were answering to HIM. He made it appear that pre-9/11 he was totally engaged in fighting terrorism, but was prevented by the so-called "intelligence wall" and by a gross lack of funding. Yet FBI officials have said Ashcroft not only was NOT engaged in fighting terrorism, when pushed on the issue, he told them he did not want to hear anymore about it. As to funding, in the summer of 2001, the FBI pleaded with Ashcroft to increase funding to fight terrorism. On Sept 10 Ashcroft turned the request down!

According to draft reports prepared by the 911 commission, Ashcroft was "largely uninterested in counterterrorism issues before Sept. 11, despite intelligence warnings that summer that al Qaeda was planning a large, perhaps catastrophic, terrorist attack." In a desperate attempt to preserve his reputation, Ashcroft repeatedly lied about his record to a joint Congressional committee in February 2002. For example, Ashcroft said that, immediately after 9/11, the FBI "came to me with a $670 million request, and we counseled them to take that to $ 1.1 billion." But an internal Justice Department document obtained by American Progress reveals that "the FBI requested $1.5 billion in additional funds to enhance its counterterrorism efforts" which Ashcroft cut to $531 million. Ashcroft spokesman Mark Corallo attempted to dismiss the documents because they were circulated by a "think tank run by top former Clinton aide John Podesta" - but he did not dispute their authenticity or validity.

New York Daily News: "On deck for the 9/11 hot seat this week is Attorney General John Ashcroft, who may be pressed on why he nixed FBI pleas to boost counterterror funds the day after the worst attacks ever on U.S. soil. Fresh from grilling President Bush's national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, the 9/11 commission will hear tomorrow from Ashcroft, former Attorney General Janet Reno and ex-FBI Director Louis Freeh. Ashcroft shot down an FBI request for $58 million in new funds to fight terror on Sept. 10, 2001. The agency received his rejection on Sept. 12, the day after Al Qaeda struck. Exhausted FBI brass who spent the previous day reacting to the attacks were stunned."

Newsweek: "[Ashcroft's] predecessor, Janet Reno, demanded to be regularly briefed on the status of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act cases on terror suspects. Ashcroft told Justice lawyers he did not need to hear daily reports. 'It's like a soap opera,' Ashcroft said at one meeting, according to a former Justice official. 'You can tune in once a week and catch up with what's been going on.' (An Ashcroft aide denies that the A.G. made such a comment.)... Ashcroft never saw that Aug. 6, 2001, PDB warning of an Al Qaeda attack inside the United States. Why? Because President George W. Bush, with his penchant for secrecy, had restricted the distribution of the PDB to just seven national-security officials. The A.G. didn't make the cut... [interim FBI Director Tom] Pickard will testify that in a July conference call, he alerted all 56 FBI field offices to be on the lookout for Al Qaeda activity. But FBI whistle-blower Colleen Rowley says she never got the word."

The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice reports: "The Ashcroft Justice Department has issued subpoenas to seven physicians and at least six hospitals for the medical records of hundreds of women who had second- or third-trimester abortions. The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice stands with the hospitals and physicians that are resisting this unconscionable intrusion into the most intimate matters of an individual's life. The subpoenas were issued to bolster the Justice Department's defense of the unconstitutional 'Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003' signed by Bush in November. The Justice Department has not only subpoenaed records of doctors who have filed lawsuits against the ban, but it has also subpoenaed records of hospitals and women who are not parties in the lawsuit."

Josh Marshall writes, "A hard time kicking the habit? You've probably already heard the story of Richard Convertino, the Assistant US Attorney from Detroit who's just sued John Ashcroft for 'gross mismanagement' and various bad acts stemming out of a counter-terrorism case in Detroit. But look at this passage down in this Associated Press story: 'Convertino also accused Justice officials of intentionally divulging the name of one of his confidential terrorism informants (CI) to retaliate against him. The leak put the informant at grave risk, forced him to flee the United States and 'interfered with the ability of the United States to obtain information from the CI about current and future terrorist activities,' the suit alleges.' More payback?"

"A federal prosecutor in a major terrorism case in Detroit has taken the rare step of suing Attorney General John Ashcroft, alleging the Justice Department interfered with the case, compromised a confidential informant and exaggerated results in the war on terrorism. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Convertino of Detroit accused the Justice Department of 'gross mismanagement' of the war on terrorism in a whistleblower lawsuit filed late Friday... Convertino is seeking damages under the First Amendment and Privacy Act, alleging he has been subjected to an internal investigation as retaliation for his cooperation with the Senate and that information from the internal probe was wrongly leaked to news media. The lawsuit states Convertino first complained to his superiors more than a year ago about Justice's interference in the Detroit terrorism trial, saying Washington supervisors "had continuously placed perception over reality to the serious detriment of the war on terror."

"Several groups Thursday urged the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Attorney General John Ashcroft's use of a political action committee mailing list during his 2000 Senate race," reports the rightwing Newsmax. "The National Voting Rights Institute, Public Citizen and other groups contended in a letter that Ashcroft evaded campaign finance laws through his Senate campaign's use of a mailing list developed by his Spirit of America PAC at a cost of $1.7 million. They also say that while Ashcroft told the Federal Election Commission he personally owned the mailing list at one point, he failed to include it on a required report to the Senate outlining his financial holdings. He may have broken tax laws by failing to report income earned from the list on his Internal Revenue Service income tax filings, they say."

LA Times: "In the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, Ali Alubeidy was in the cross hairs of the Justice Department, singled out as a potential terrorist by no less than U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft. In fact, he was guilty -- of paying off a corrupt bureaucrat to get a commercial driver's license, including a permit to transport hazardous materials. His sentence: three years' probation. But the terrorism case against him never got off the ground. Prosecutors soon realized he was not a terrorist or involved in any terrorist organization, and even said so publicly. To the Justice Department, however, Alubeidy, and a group of 19 other Middle Eastern men caught up in the driver's license scam, still count. They are included on a list of more than 280 cases that the department cites as evidence that it is winning the war on terrorism. The growing list has been regularly highlighted by Ashcroft and other Justice Department officials in speeches and congressional testimony, and even by Bush."

"The Assemblies of God headquarters withdrew its proposal to rename a street for Springfield native and church member John Ashcroft after some residents criticized the request... Letters to the local newspaper have expressed concerns about renaming historic streets and honoring a person whose political career is still active. They also cited Ashcroft's support of the USA Patriot Act and its potential impact on civil liberties." And this is back home where they know him best. Of course, the voters of Missouri rejected Ashcroft in 2000!!

"The FEC's 'conciliation agreement' with the Ashcroft committees, released 12-17-03, reveals that John Ashcroft was directly involved in the circumstances leading to the violations. The plaintiffs in the case... will file a new federal lawsuit against the FEC for not adequately enforcing the law. They also said they are considering filing a complaint with the US Justice Department for a criminal investigation of the matter. 'The FEC's action in this case is a farce,' says Bonnie Tenneriello, an attorney with the National Voting Rights Institute. 'John Ashcroft's political committees, and possibly John Ashcroft himself, engaged in serious violations of federal campaign finance law during the 2000 election. The FEC's fine is merely a slap on the wrist. No one is above the law,' says Tenneriello, 'not even the chief law enforcement officer of the US. We will pursue this matter further to ensure that the law is properly enforced against those who committed these violations.'"

"The Federal Election Commission has determined that Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft's unsuccessful 2000 Senate reelection campaign violated federal election laws by accepting $110,000 in illegal contributions from a committee Ashcroft had established to explore running for president. In documents released Tuesday by the FEC, Garrett M. Lott, treasurer for the two Ashcroft committees, the Spirit of America PAC and Ashcroft 2000, agreed to pay a $37,000 fine for at least four violations of federal campaign law. Lott agreed not to contest the charges... The FEC vote was 5-1, and the one dissenter sought harsher penalties and tougher findings. The three Republican members of the commission joined two of the Democrats in voting for the penalties... The dissenter, Ellen L. Weintraub, the third Democrat on the commission, said, 'The [$37,000] penalty...is so low that I do not believe it adequately reflects the severity of the conduct at issue.'"

"The Bush administration swept up thousands of suspects who were not charged or received little or no prison time, says a study of more than 6,000 terrorism-related prosecutions in the United... The study, released today, also shows that almost half the suspects referred to prosecutors were deemed unworthy of prosecution because of a lack of evidence or criminal intent. The study was done by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University, using freedom of information legislation to gain access to justice department statistics. The study's authors question whether the 'big broom' approach favoured by U.S. President George W. Bush and his attorney-general, John Ashcroft, has deterred terrorism in this country or was really an indiscriminate round-up... 'Anti-terrorism' is a new category created by the Bush administration to identify immigration, identity theft, drug and other cases brought by prosecutors that were deemed to be terrorist-related."

"A hearing for a Muslim Army chaplain once suspected of espionage but now charged with little more than mishandling classified documents at the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay ground to a halt on Tuesday amid accusations that the military was withholding evidence, hiding witnesses and jeopardizing the right to a fair trial. 'Trial by ambush. I believe that is what has happened in this case,' Eugene Fidell, one of Yee's civilian defense lawyers. Lawyers for Yee, who left the military in the 1990s to study Arabic in the Middle East and rejoined as a chaplain before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, said the case against their client was trivial and designed to destroy his reputation. 'This is the most incredible military proceeding that I've ever been involved in,' Maj. Scott Sikes, Yee's military-appointed defense counsel, said. 'It's been raised to a level it shouldn't be at.'"

John Ashcroft is systematically using his federal office to persecute political enemies. The proof is mounting steadily. Martha Stewart, the Rain Forest Action Network, The National Educ. Assoc., and scores of activists have become "enemies of the Bush State" and either prosecuted, investigated or subjected to heavyhanded IRS audits. Meanwhile, friends of the Bush State like Tom Delay, Dick Cheney, Ken Lay and a growing list of very big time criminals remain uninvestigated, let alone indicted or audited. Now Ashcroft has resorted to dredging up an obscure 1872 law as a pretext for charging Greenpeace with federal crimes. SPEAK OUT NOW! Who knows...you could be next on the Ashcroft list!

Boston.com writes, "Senator John F. Kerry said yesterday that he would 'end the era of John Ashcroft' if elected to the White House, making one of the harshest denunciations in the 2004 presidential race of efforts by the US attorney general and President Bush to prevent further terrorist attacks on American soil. Kerry accused Ashcroft and Bush of abusing the USA Patriot Act... He said the Justice Department has authorized federal agents to spy on Americans who criticize the Republican administration, to conduct searches and seize evidence without warrants, to scrutinize citizens' computer files, and to detain a significant number of Arabs and Arab-Americans without sufficient cause. Kerry also said that Bush and Ashcroft had permitted the use of 'police powers in secret ways and for political purposes.'" Go John Go!

From Greenpeace USA: "Greenpeace wants to bring our ship, the Esperanza, to the Port of Miami for supplies and to bring people from the Miami area on board to discuss our efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest. But the Port of Miami is refusing us entry because John Ashcroft's Justice Department is prosecuting Greenpeace for a protest action last year. The New York Times has reported that this prosecution is 'unusual and questionable.' We intend to be exonerated. Don't let the Port of Miami keep Greenpeace out and silence our voices. Contact the authorities in Miami and tell them that they should allow the Esperanza to dock in Miami!"

"I didn't attend Attorney General John Ashcroft's speech last month in Minneapolis, but newspapers have quoted him as saying that Americans are 'freer today than at any time in the history of human freedom.' Well, this American disagrees! And I would venture to say that many others feel the same way -- those who have been put on the 'them' side of the 'us vs. them' equation in the context of the administration's 'you're either with us or against us' mentality. It didn't matter whether you were a career FBI agent, a decorated war veteran, a duly elected congressman or senator, a military general or even a former president, you were labeled a traitor for voicing any criticism of administration policies. You were accused of giving aid and comfort to the enemy, called a friend of Osama bin Laden and thrown to the wolves (or more accurately, the FOXes)." Coleen Rowley is the FBI agent who blew the whistle on her superiors' obstruction of the Zacarias Moussaoui investigation.

"Ashcroft's latest power play is to take plea-bargaining discretion away from federal prosecutors. In his now infamous memo to U.S. prosecutors, he directs them to file the most serious charge [the one with the heaviest sentence under the federal sentencing guidelines] possible in every case. [In] today's New York Times..., even die-hard (former) prosecutors like Mary Jo White criticize the plan. Mary Jo White, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan for almost a decade: 'Crimes are different, places are different, people are different. This really goes beyond what is efficient and fair.'... The memo has far-reaching effects for everyone. If enforced, the net result of the policy will be to eliminate incentives for plea bargains, leaving defendants with no recourse except to insist on a trial. According to the Times, 96% of federal criminal defendants plead out and our courts still are overburdened. Under the new policy, there is a real risk our federal court system will collapse."

"Why is John Ashcroft stonewalling about charges that his 2000 Senate campaign broke the federal campaign finance law? A complaint [was filed] in March 2001 with the FEC, alleging that Mr. Ashcroft's leadership PAC, 'Spirit of America,' illegally contributed a fundraising list of 100,000 donors to his 2000 Senate campaign in Missouri. Neither the PAC nor the campaign committee reported the contribution... Upon receiving the list at no charge, the Ashcroft campaign allegedly rented the list out and made over $100,000... Quite simply, Ashcroft's campaign and leadership PAC broke the law by giving and receiving a contribution that exceeded the federal contribution limit by at least 10 times and possibly by more than 200 times, and by failing to disclose the contribution in the first place. Two and a half years later, the FEC has not resolved the matter, and its file remains secret -- but Ashcroft could ask to open the file to the public." Yeah, like that'll happen.

Ashcroft's barnstorming tour across the US to trump up support for his Orwellian attack on America's civil liberties was a total failure. Everywhere he went, he was greeted by far, far more protesters than supporters. Meanwhile, the number of bills being proposed to overturn or limit the totalitarian powers Ashcroft seeks to give himself is growing weekly. As you scroll through this list, notice how many are sponsored by Democrats - about 9/10! This is the type of concrete action on behalf of America that will help the Dems take back the Senate and House!!

"Across the nation, FBI investigators are visiting libraries and checking the reading records of people they suspect of being in league with terrorists, library officials say. The FBI effort, authorized by the anti-terrorism law enacted after the Sept. 11 attacks, is the first broad government check of library records since the 1970s, when prosecutors reined in the practice for fear of abuses... Judith Krug, the American Library [Assoc. Dir.] for intellectual freedom, tells worried librarians who call that they should keep only the records they need and should discard records that would show which patron checked out a book... 'People are scared and they think that by giving up their rights, especially their right to privacy, they will be safe,' Krug said. 'But it wasn't the right to privacy that let terrorists into our nation. It had nothing to do with libraries or library records.'" Ashcroft claimed last week that the library provision of the Patriot Act has never been used. He lied!

From the Liquid List blog: "I was searching my memory because I was pretty sure that the Justice Department had discussed the applications of section 215 of USA Patriot Act in the past. Dahlia Lithwick [of Salon.com] mentioned it in her long piece on the Patriot Act, so this paragraph is from that: '...at a judiciary committee hearing, Assistant Attorney General Viet Dinh did throw a bone to librarians, noting that in 'an informal survey of the field offices,' Justice learned 'that libraries have been contacted approximately 50 times, based on articulable suspicion or voluntary calls from librarians regarding suspicious activity.' He did not give specifics on searches of any other establishments.' So which is true? Is [the Washington Post article], where Ashcroft is quoted telling FBI Director Mueller that 'the number of times [the provision] has been used to date is zero,' accurate? Was Viet Dinh lying to Congress? Is Ashcroft lying now?" Yes to the latter!

Detroit News reports: "Attorney General John Ashcroft has asked a federal judge to quash an effort to force him to come to Detroit to face a charge of contempt of court. Lawyers for four men accused of providing material support to terrorists asked U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen to hold Ashcroft in contempt for violating a gag order because of a 'pattern of flagrant, ethical violations and disobedience to this court's order'... On Oct. 23, 2001, Rosen imposed a gag order on the parties... Eight days later, Ashcroft said 'three Michigan men suspected of having knowledge of the September 11 attacks, for example, were arrested on charges of possessing false documents.' Ashcroft quickly retracted the remark. During the trial, Ashcroft held a news conference on April 17, where he praised government informant Youssef Hmimssa's cooperation. 'His testimony has been of value, substantial value,' Ashcroft said."

"As John Ashcroft's Patriot Act tour plans an arrival in New York the day before the anniversary of the 2001 World Trade Center attacks, family members of victims are calling on political and civic leaders not to politicize September 11th. 'We've seen the deaths of our loved ones used to justify misguided and unrelated policy at home and a war abroad in Iraq,' said Andrew Rice whose brother was killed in the Towers. 'Now, with the Republican National convention planned just before the anniversary next year so that it flows seamlessly into the commemoration events, I am worried that my brother's death is being exploited for political purposes. We are calling on all political leaders to respect the anniversary as day of mourning and reflection, not a back drop for their campaigns.'"

As reported by Howard Altman of the Philadelphia City Paper, John Ashcroft held a press conference in Philadelphia -- but only for the broadcast media. The Secret Service barred newspaper reporters from entering the room. The venue for this assault on freedom of the press and the people's right to know what our government is doing, by the way, was the National Constitution Center. The Bushevik regime is as oblivious to irony as it is contemptuous of our democratic institutions.

The NY Times reports: "Attorney General John Ashcroft faced sharp criticism today from Democrats and others over his decision to give more than a dozen speeches around the country in defense of anti-terrorism legislation passed after the Sept. 11 attacks. Representative John Conyers Jr. of Michigan, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, told Mr. Ashcroft in a letter that he should either 'desist from further speaking engagements' or explain why they do not violate restrictions on political activities by government officials. Mr. Conyers said that the speeches in defense of the USA Patriot Act, as the antiterrorism law is known, appeared to conflict with Congressional restrictions preventing the use of Justice Department money for 'publicity or propaganda purposes not authorized by Congress.' He said they might also violate the Anti-Lobbying Act and its restrictions on grass-roots lobbying on legislative matters."

"A grass-roots drive to resist the attorney general's broad expansion of police powers in the name of fighting terrorism has picked up so much support in the American heartland it threatens not only repeal of the legislation but political damage to Resident Bush as well. Try as he might, Mr. Ashcroft can no longer dismiss opponents of the USA Patriot Act as a small but whiny band of liberals. Some of the nation's top conservative groups as well as a huge majority of the Republican-led House of Representatives -- in other words, the Bush base -- are now leading the drive to eliminate portions of the law that allow secret spying on anyone... The Ashcroft road show seems likely to backfire, and actually fuel the drive for a thorough review by Congress of the Patriot Act to weed out its onerous parts. Mr. Ashcroft should be weeded out as well."

BlogForAmerica.com reports: "If you print in 8 point font, you can fit approximately 150 names on an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. If you have 50,000 names, you need (do the math with me) a lot of paper, over 300 sheets of paper in fact. Thanks to all the thousands of you who signed the online petition to stop John Ashcroft, Iowans protesting this administration's disregard for civil liberties in Des Moines today had your people power behind them. Thanks to you we joined with over 100 Iowans, including members from the Iowa Democratic Party and the Iowa Civil Liberties Union, to deliver a massive 70 foot wall of resistance to the Attorney General himself. As John Ashcroft entered the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines, Iowa today, Dean supporters displayed the first 50,000 signatures from the Stop Ashcroft petition. Ashcroft was speaking at the hotel to promote the Bush administration's plans to expand the Patriot Act."

Fox News (surprise!) reports: "Al Franken has written an apology to Attorney General Ashcroft after asking him for his personal story about remaining abstinent before marriage. ... 'In the letter, I indicated that I wanted your story for a book about abstinence-only sex education entitled 'Savin' It!' I claimed that I had already received testimonies from several conservative leaders, which I had not,' he wrote. ... In encouraging Ashcroft to submit his story, Franken asked the attorney general to reveal honest and personal details about his younger days. 'Don't be afraid to share a moment when you were tempted to have sex, but were able to overcome your urges through willpower and strength of character. Be funny!' Franken wrote. 'Did a young woman every think you were homosexual just because you wouldn't have sex with her? Be serious! Were you ever taunted and made to feel bad or 'uncool' because of your choice? But most of all, be real. Kids can sense a phony a mile away.'"

AP: "The Interior Department's top lawyer initiated an agency investigation Thurs. of his own conduct, responding to complaints by an environmental group that he played favorites with former clients on grazing issues. William Myers III, who provides legal opinions for the department as its solicitor, asked Gale Norton to have agency staff review allegations against him by Friends of the Earth and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. The groups this month asked the Office of Government Ethics to look at meetings between Myers, now nominated for a federal judgeship, and cattle interests who may have been his former clients. They contended Myers broke his pledge of May 1, 2001, not to participate for a year in any dealings with former clients... Norton handled Myers' request [wink, wink, nudge, nudge] by asking the agency's inspector general, Mark Devaney, to investigate." Now that'll be a "FAIR AND BALANCED" Investigation! Not!

"The founding fathers, whose brilliant design for the federal government was based on three coequal branches, would be horrified to learn of John Ashcroft's latest idea for improving the American justice system. Mr. Ashcroft has ordered federal prosecutors to start collecting information on federal judges who give sentences that are lighter than those suggested by federal guidelines. Critics are right when they say this has the potential to create a 'blacklist' of judges who could then be subjected to intimidation... Judges frequently depart downward at the urging of the government, to reward defendants who cooperate with prosecutors. But the administration and its allies in Congress have made no secret of their unhappiness with judges who impose more lenient sentences than guidelines call for. They have tried a variety of methods of pressuring judges to see things their way." Even Chief Justice William Rehnquist is against this blatant grab for dictatorial control!

From Reuters: "U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy told the nation's largest legal group on Saturday that U.S. sentencing guidelines are too tough, marking the latest salvo in the judiciary's battle with the Justice Department and the U.S. Congress. Kennedy also told the American Bar Association that mandatory minimum sentences were unnecessary. His speech at the group's annual meeting came shortly after U.S. [Inquisitor] General Ashcroft directed federal prosecutors to report on judges who issue lighter sentences than what is recommended by the federal sentencing guidelines. 'Our resources are misspent, our punishments too severe, our sentences too long,' Kennedy said in remarks prepared for delivery. He added that the federal sentencing guidelines were partly responsible for the increase in federal prison terms."

AP reports: " Attorney General John Ashcroft has issued an (order) directing U.S. attorneys to promptly report to DOJ headquarters when a judge's sentence is a downward departure from sentencing guidelines not part of a plea agreement in exchange for cooperation...the government is prepared to appeal more of these sentences if such a decision is made by lawyers in [Perjurer]General Theodore Olsen's office. The upshot is that more decisions to appeal will be made at main Justice in Washington rather than left to prosecutors in the field." Guess that about takes care o' the 'INDEPENDENT' Judiciary, eh?

AP reports: "Attorney General John Ashcroft defended the Justice Department's decision to withhold a report on its handling of the case against nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee, saying Thursday that the department is protecting national interests, not stonewalling... Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., said the department's withholding of the Lee report and information about other cases indicates both 'a government obsessed with secrecy' and 'a culture of concealment.' A Washington-based watchdog group appealed the department's decision this week. The Federation of American Scientists argues the review covers a longer time span than a previous department report and may contain new revelations about professional misconduct by Justice and FBI personnel."

The Charlotte Observer reports: "U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft or his aides blocked investigators from probing U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor as part of a fraud case involving illegal loans by the bank Taylor chairs, defense attorneys say. The accusations against Ashcroft came in a motion filed May 15 by attorneys Gene Sigmon and Forrest Ferrell, who represent Thomas W. Jones. Jones was convicted April 11 of supplying Blue Ridge Savings Bank with false information to obtain loans for Sylva car dealership owner Charles 'Chig' Cagle, a Taylor political contributor."

"On April 18, Ashcroft was reprimanded by a federal judge for his failure to comply with a 'gag order' - a standing court order requiring attorneys not to make public comments about the case. Ashcroft's making a statement in contravention of the gag order is disappointing. But what is particularly upsetting is that this is not the first time. In cases in which defendants are charged with terrorism-related offenses, Ashcroft and other Justice Department prosecutors have repeatedly flouted both gag orders and state ethics rules requiring prosecutors not to make prejudicial out-of court statements about a defendant. This time, the case at issue was the trial of four Detroit men accused of operating a terrorist cell. But the violations have also occurred in at least two prior cases...There seems little question that Ashcroft has consciously adopted a strategy of trying cases in the press so that he can make sure he doesn't lose them in the courtroom."

"'Most illegal immigrants can be jailed indefinitely without bond when national security risks exist,' John Ashcroft has declared in a legal opinion. Immigration advocates are calling that an abuse of power in the name of fighting terrorism. The order means such aliens will not be released on bond while their cases are being decided by immigration judges if the government can show national security issues are involved. 'Such national security considerations clearly constitute a reasonable foundation for the exercise of my discretion to deny release on bond,' Ashcroft said in the 19-page opinion, which was signed last Friday.'"

TalkLeft writes: "Attorney General John Ashcroft has done it again. At a news conference Thursday, Ashcroft commented on the credibility and value of a government witness in the ongoing Detroit terrorism trial, in which the Government has accused four men of being in a sleeper cell... This is improper on a few levels. First, there is a gag order imposed on the parties in the case. Second, ethical rules prohibit prosecutors from giving their opinion on the quality of evidence in an ongoing case (see, for example, rules 3.6 and 3.8 of the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct ). The credibility of the Government witness is a huge issue in the case."

Cheryl Seal reports, "It's been another surrealistic day in Lake Bush Begone (I wish!). The latest events: At a 4/02 meeting of the Christian Zionist group 'Stand for Israel' (the Christian Zionists are largely a subset of the 'Rapturists'), John Ashcroft was the guest of honor, greeted by long and thunderous applause. At the same meeting, a keynote speaker declared the Palestinians 'the enemy,' while Ashcroft rambled on about 'people who take the Covenant to heart' ... Meanwhile, Pentagon lies continue unabated, conflicting wildly with just about everyone else's story, including the State Department... Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. empire become America's Patriotism Police... and a real Red Cross Report comes out.

Dave Zweiful writes, "When John Ashcroft was in the U.S. Senate he was always a champion of states' rights. Too much power is held in Washington. State government is closest to the people. Now that he's the attorney general, the states are wondering where he's gone. The message is clear from his U.S. Department of Justice: We feds know best... The glaring example is Ashcroft's love affair with the death penalty. He recently overruled 28 local federal prosecutors who had decided not to seek the death penalty in 28 cases and he has used federal prosecutions to override state laws such as the use of marijuana for medical purposes and Washington state's right-to-die law." Not to mention the new version of the Patriot Act. Ashcroft lied under oath during his confirmation hearings on many different issues... so where are the impeachment hearings?

SF Chronicle reports that Ashcroft "has threatened to criminally prosecute California's top firearms official over the state's continued use of a federal databank to hunt down illegal gun users. The threat marks a significant escalation in the war between California law enforcement and U.S. officials over gun control and background checks... Federal authorities believe the list of convicted felons, drug dealers, suspected terrorists, spouse beaters, illegal immigrants and others should only be used to help gun dealers determine if someone is allowed to buy a gun, not police investigating other gun-control violations... Now, in an unprecedented action, the chief of California's firearms division says he was threatened with federal action for a criminal violation if California continues to use the federal database to search for illegal gun users who violated the law in other states." Impeach Bush and Ashcroft!

John Aravosis points out that "Attorney General John Ashcroft, America's top official in charge of enforcing civil rights laws," has at least 6 strikes against him on race. Ashcroft spoke at Bob Jones University's May 1999 commencement, accepting an honorary degree and $750, saying "I thank God for this institution and for you." Ashcroft lobbied the "Federal Bureau of Prisons on behalf of a CCC member in jail on charges of conspiring to murder an FBI agent." Ashcroft accepted $10,000 from hatemonger Pat Robertson for the Senator's failed presidential bid in 2000. Ashcroft told the racist Southern Partisan that "your magazine also helps set the record straight... you've got a heritage of doing that." And Ashcroft is tight with extremist Larry Pratt of the Gun Owners of America.

If John Ashcroft got his way, America would be a nation of snitches - "America the Bugged." His grand scheme envisions workers spying on fellow workers, your mailman spying on your mail, your cable guy snooping around your home - spies, says Paul Coggins, "of all shapes, sizes and colors." But when rightwingers as unprincipled as Dick Armey balked at this idea, you KNEW it was doomed. So Ashcroft is back at the drawing board - for now. "That means you and I probably won't get our secret decoder rings in the mail anytime soon, says Coggins. "No secret handshake. No license to snoop. For now, a plumber is just a plumber, and an exterminator is there to get rid of bugs - not plant them. For now, it's still safe to chitchat with neighbors and officemates, read racy novels, watch steamy movies, cook foreign dishes and even speak a foreign language." For now...

Reuters.com reports: "The U.S. government gave 48 classified documents to accused Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui by mistake in what the judge called a grave security breach, according to court records released on Thursday. The classified documents -- FBI summaries of interviews -- then had to be retrieved during several days of searches of Moussaoui's jail cell in Alexandria, Virginia, where he is being held in solitary confinement awaiting trial. The classified documents were given to Moussaoui, the only person charged in the United States for the hijacked plane attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, by mistake over the past few months as part of the evidence turned over to him by federal government prosecutors. Moussaoui, who is acting as his own lawyer, is not allowed to see classified documents. A Justice Department official said the government was 'quite confident' that Moussaoui never read the documents, which were not stamped 'classified.'"

"When the White House released its Sept. 12 'white paper' detailing Saddam Hussein's 'support for international terrorism,' it caused more than a little discomfort in some quarters of Washington. The 27-page document, entitled 'A Decade of Deception and Defiance', made no mention of any Iraqi ties to Osama bin Laden. But it did highlight Saddam's backing of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), an obscure Iranian dissident group that has gathered surprising support among members of Congress in past years. One of those supporters, the documents show, is a top commander in Bush's war on terrorism: Attorney General John Ashcroft, who became involved with the MKO while a Republican senator from Missouri."

Criminal justice experts are concerned that the Justice Department under John Ashcroft is exerting political control over agencies within the department that collect crime statistics and grant crime research awards, reports the New York Times. "These critics trace the shift to the ... U.S.A. Patriot Act [which] removed much of the freedom the directors of the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Institute of Justice [and gave] their authority to the assistant attorney general for the Office of Justice Programs, Deborah Daniels, and her deputy, Tracy Henke." The report notes that Daniels is the sister of OMB Director Mitch Daniels and Henke is a close associate of Mr. Ashcroft. Adding to the worries of scholars and employees is a directive from Daniels saying that jobs in the Bureau of Justice Statistics would be "outsourced," a move which Alfred Blumstein, one of the agency's founders, called "'inappropriate in the extreme,' because it could lead to political abuses." Duh.

TheDailyEnron reports: "A longtime Ashcroft friend and adviser had sold his connections to victims of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The Attorney General's friend, Charles Polk, is well known in Missouri Republican circles as a close friend of Ashcroft. He was prominent at Ashcroft's side during his contentious Senate confirmation hearings. Justice officials admitted to Associated Press that Polk has had contact with senior Justice officials, including Ashcroft and Ashcroft adviser David Israelite and September 11 fund administrator Kenneth Feinberg. Victims of Polk's scheme say that the St. Louis attorney suggested to them that Ashcroft's department supported the idea of extending the compensation Congress set up for Sept. 11 victims to the Oklahoma City families... James Helenthal, who partnered with Polk on the venture but later had a falling out with him, alleged in a lawsuit that Polk told him in March that Ashcroft had encouraged the venture."

Throughout the Clinton years, rightwingers screamed about "jack-booted thugs" taking away American freedoms. Of course this was a total lie, but now it's the truth - thanks in large part to Attorney General John Ashcroft. So when will "pro-freedom" conservatives demand Ashcroft's removal? Not anytime soon. "His religious base is now quite troubled by what he's done," said Grover Norquist - barely expressing any concern. Paul Weyrich, president of the Free Congress Foundation, said "the grassroots enthusiasm for him has been tamped down" - such harsh condemnation (not!). Ken Connor, the president of James Dobson's Family Research Council, said conservatives "need to ask ourselves the question, How would our groups fare under these new rules?" Hey Ken – are you implying that only conservative groups are entitled to Constitutional protections?

"Dear W: Please hire a new Attorney General. Immediately. John Ashcroft is too extreme. Worse, his ideology has affected his job performance. There are no convictions in the Enron case and a brewing mess at the FBI. Mr. Ashcroft has needlessly meddled in states' rights cases in Oregon and California, proposed sharp assaults on our civil rights, trampled on the Constitution of Thomas Jefferson and our founders while cutting $58 million in counter-terrorism funding designed to protect our security. For a guy who comes from Missouri, the 'show me' state, the General hasn't shown much. There was another real leader from Missouri, President Harry S. Truman, who coined the expression: 'the buck stops here.' Leadership is about accountability. And it's time to take account. It's time for him to go." Sign the letter.

Dana Milbank from Washington Post writes "Is John D. Ashcroft becoming a liberal? Conservative organizations are furious that the attorney general allowed his deputy, Larry Thompson, to address a gathering of gay Justice Department employees Wednesday night." First off, this article is a non story, since Thomspon was talking to people who work for him. If anyone, especially journalists, think Mullah Ashcroft is becoming a liberal, they should get out of this profession immediately! The spin put in this article is the reason why the Washington Post is so lame.

Salon's Dave Lindorff reports that former FBI officials are among John Ashcroft's most vocal critics. Ashcroft is "ruining the government's best chance to find out what terrorists were up to in the U.S. by arresting everyone who seemed remotely suspicious and by scaring any real terrorists deeper underground. As one former G-man said at the time, the way to catch a conspiracy is to patiently watch it develop, and then swoop in and nab everyone. Now the arrest of alleged 'dirty bomb' conspirator... on apparently thin evidence, has renewed criticism that the government is mishandling the campaign against terrorism. [Critics suggest] it all may be part of an ongoing plan by the White House to divert attention from [Bush's failures. The whole policy], from the creation of the new Department of Homeland Dysfunction to this announcement is being engineered by Rove, and Rove's policy is to reduce criticism of the administration."

"One reason, the FBI explains, that it didn't respond last summer to an agent's warnings about suspicious activities at flight schools by Middle Eastern men was a lack of resources. Yet there were enough FBI agents to eavesdrop on New Orleans hookers and their clients. That certainly reflected John Ashcroft's priorities. This was an attorney general selected as a cultural warrior. Remarkably, as the Sept. 11 debate... focuses on FBI Director Robert Mueller and CIA Chief George Tenet, there has been little criticism of Mr. Ashcroft. Yet on that tragic day, Mr. Mueller had been in office seven days, his boss, the AG, had served more than seven months. George Tenet spent that summer warning about the terrorism threat; the AG considered counterterrorism a low priority... As the nation's chief law enforcement officer, John Ashcroft's pre-Sept. 11 agenda was fighting gun control, abortion, state laws permitting assisted suicide or medical marijuana and going after hookers and their clients."

The LA Times reports, "For more than 13 months, the Justice Department has conducted a major investigation of this bordello, producing hundreds of pages of surveillance transcripts and reports by 10 FBI agents. With considerable fanfare, the Justice Department touted its 'catch' in a news conference: 12 prostitutes. Only the FBI could go to the French Quarter and find just a dozen prostitutes after a year of investigation. Given the roughly one-to-one ratio between agents and prostitutes, the FBI could have produced a hundred times this number by having agents walk down Bourbon Street. In some parts of New Orleans, a 'sting operation' for prostitutes requires the simple opening of a car door." THIS is Ashcroft's priority? Dump Ashcroft Now!

Joe Conason writes, "From what we know of Mr. Ashcroft's conduct since he assumed office last year, he shrugged off the terrorist threat in favor of his own small-time agenda. He wanted to prosecute people in California who provide marijuana to cancer patients. He wanted to prosecute doctors in Oregon who assist the suicides of terminally ill patients. He wanted to prosecute pornographers... He can't say he wasn't warned. As Newsweek reported two weeks ago, Mr. Freeh tried to convince him that additional resources and action were needed to fight terrorism... but Mr. Ashcroft brushed him off... Last year, Mr. Ashcroft challenged the patriotism of anyone who dared question his incursions on traditional freedoms, and his critics quickly backed down. Now it is he who should be challenged, to explain his past approach to terrorism and to justify his present assaults on liberty. And he should not be allowed to hide his answers behind closed doors."

John Nichols writes, "That opposition to Ashcroft's assault on the Constitution does not follow predictable patterns became evident last week, when House Judiciary Committee Chair James Sensenbrenner, R-Wi., emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of the administration's latest initiatives in the ever-expanding domestic 'war on terrorism.' Sensenbrenner, an old-fashioned conservative Republican who has represented a suburban Milwaukee district since 1979, has forged a remarkably solid working relationship with the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Michigan's John Conyers. Sensenbrenner and Conyers attempted to temper the anti-terrorism legislation when it came before their committee last fall, only to have some of their most important efforts thwarted by Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate."

As Robert Sheer writes on Working Assets, "the good news is the FBI has some very good agents who picked up these troubling signs. The bad news is that these warnings stalled in a chain of command that included Ashcroft and never made it to the president [sic]." He concludes that if the best that the top law enforcement official in the country can do is to warn us that further criminal lawlessness on a mass scale is "inevitable," then he needs to move aside so we can get a better top cop.

Scaife-Max reports, "Dan Rather accused Attorney General John Ashcroft of personally ordering Justice Department aides [to attack Rather, after he reported that Ashcroft put his own safety above the public's - Ashcroft on flew private jets because of terrorist threats, while failing to warn the public.] 'Maybe it would be better for [Ashcroft] to spend a little less time trying to sully up my reputation in some way - cover his own backside - and a little more time [fighting terrorism. Rather said that before 9/11], the attorney general... decided that it wasn't safe for him to ride the airlines. And therefore he relied on... private aircraft to fly him around wherever he went, at, I think, $1,600 an hour.' " Hey Dan -- this is the most corrupt bunch of thugs ever to occupy the White House -- they will stop at NOTHING to destroy ANYONE who crosses them.

John Ashcroft played "down the terrorist threat in the first months of the Bush administration. [He accused] his critics of undermining the fight against terrorism. But it is becoming clear that before September 11 he had little interest in counter-terrorism, and diverted resources from measures to prevent terrorism... He also sent a memorandum... stating his seven priorities. Counter-terrorism was not on the list. He turned down an FBI request for hundreds more agents to be assigned to tracking terrorist threats. Nevertheless, he began using a chartered private jet to travel around the country, rather than take commercial airliners. [Ashcroft had a showdown with FBI director Louis Freeh last spring on counter-terrorism. When] Mr Freeh began to talk about his concern about the terrorist threat facing the country, 'Ashcroft didn't want to hear about it'... But even since September 11 Mr Ashcroft has been accused of putting ideology before the battle against terrorism."

People for the American Way (PFAW) issued an analysis of John Ashcroft's first year as U.S. Attorney General. One year later, Ashcroft has done much to ensure his legacy as a right-wing ideologue…willing to bend the Constitution and laws to his worldview, disregard the constitutional principle of checks and balances, and endanger Americans' basic rights and freedoms. This PFAW Foundation report reviews his actions both before and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that have an impact on a range of civil rights and civil liberties…Ashcroft's tenure as attorney general threatens to reverse the nation's progress toward the goal of equal justice under the law and usher in a new era of civil liberties restrictions and civil rights abuses... Ashcroft's response to those attacks has been marked by a troubling willingness to amend our laws and Constitution by executive fiat and by a consistent disrespect for the role of the Congress and the courts in reviewing executive branch actions."

Ashcroft's "Justice Department has been quietly undermining environmental laws by settling or refusing to appeal court decisions on industry challenges that tilt against strict environmental regulation, according to a study by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)... Schumer said the study grew out of questions raised during Attorney General John Ashcroft's confirmation hearings last year, during which Democrats repeatedly asked him whether he would uphold laws with which he disagreed. Ashcroft pledged, many times, to do so. 'We did this study to see if he was living up to his word,' Schumer said. 'On the environment, he hasn't'... Earthjustice, an environmental legal advocacy group which worked with Schumer on the study, said the analysis shows 'a substantial failure' to defend environmental laws, according to Joan Mulhearn, legislative counsel for the group." So Ashcroft LIED under oath - and as we all know, that's a CRIME. We demand a special prosecutor to file criminal perjury charges!

Ashcroft has been taking quite a beating in the courts lately, as ABC News reports. The article cites Ashcroft's serious smackdowns by the Supreme Court in the "Child Pornography Prevention Act" case, including porno king Clarence Thoams himself. The article also cites the Oregon assisted suicide law, and the amazingly harsh language of Judge Robert Jones. What does Mr. "Let the Eagle Sore (sic)" expect when he shreds the Constitution as if it were yesterday's newspaper - a judicial lovefest? Unfortunately, if his boss Shrub gets his way and is allowed to appoint conservative reactionary judges, eventually, that's exactly what Mr. "Beware of Calico Cats" will get.

"U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and database billionaire Larry Ellison were named this year's most notorious American violators of personal privacy by leading advocacy groups Thursday. The annual 'Big Brother Awards' are presented to government, corporations and private individuals who allegedly have done the most to threaten personal privacy... The 'Worst Government Official' award went to Ashcroft. Privacy International said the top U.S. law enforcement officer is responsible for a massive increase in wiretapping of phones and other electronics and for the imprisonment without charge of as many as 1,200 people in the United States in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on America. The 'Worst Corporate Invader' honor went to Ellison of Oracle Corp., the world's leading maker of database software, for his advocacy of a centralized, Oracle-run government database that could be used as a national identification system." So reports Reuters.

"Handing the assisted-suicide movement a major victory, a federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Justice Department cannot interfere with Oregon's law allowing doctors to help terminally ill people kill themselves. U.S. District Judge Robert Jones said Oregon voters decided 'not once, but twice' to support the law and 'have chosen to resolve the moral, legal and ethical debate on physician-assisted suicide for themselves.' The judge declared that Attorney General John Ashcroft had overstepped his authority in trying to thwart the law, and he rebuked Ashcroft for trying to 'stifle' nationwide debate on the issue... 'No provision ... demonstrates or even suggests that Congress intended to delegate to the attorney general ... the authority to decide, as a matter of national policy, a question of such magnitude as whether physician-assisted suicide constitutes a legitimate medical purpose or practice,' Jones said." Hey John - stifle THAT!

U.S. District Judge Nancy G. Edmunds ruled that Ashcroft's policy of closed-door deportation hearings of immigrants rounded up after 9/11 is irrefutably UNCONSTITUTIONAL. "The judge made it clear that the judiciary cannot look away just because the government says [a case] has to do with 9/11," ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said. "We suspect that the government has conducted hundreds of closed hearings, but it is impossible to know because there has been so much secrecy." This ruling should send Ashcroft a clear message that secret kangaroo courts have no place in an open, democratic society. Perhaps we should all mail Ashcroft a copy of the Constitution and urge him to actually read it for once!

Last week, the FBI raided a Saudi-backed charity called the Safa Trust because of suspicious transfers. The Trust is a major supporter of the Islamic Institute, "which was set up to mobilise support for the Republican party. It shares an office in Washington with the Republican activist Grover Norquist, [who serves on its Board]. The institute, founded in 1999 to win influence in the Republican party, has helped to arrange meetings between senior Bush officials and Islamic leaders... Its chairman, Khaled Saffuri, and Mr Norquist cooperated to arrange the meetings... The institute has also received money from abroad, including $200,000 from Qatar and $55,000 from Kuwait." Why is this coming out now? Has Ashcroft been holding up this investigation for political reasons?

Why does it take lawsuits to get the Bush Administration to comply with the rule of law? The National Voting Rights Institute has sued Attorney General John Ashcroft in U.S. District Court to force the Federal Elections Committee to take action on a year-old FEC complaint lodged against the AG! The suit is requesting that a judge order the FEC to rule on the alleged violation within 30 days. At the center of the complaint is a mailing list donated to Ashcroft, by the PAC "Spirit of America," which allegedly garnered Ashcroft $116,000 towards his 2000 Senate re-election campaign. According to FEC rules, donating a mailing list is the same as making a campaign contribution and is subject to the same $10,000 limit. The FEC can either dismiss the matter, impose fines against the Attorney General, or forward it on to Ashcroft's Justice Department - so that once again he may investigate himself! We demand a Special Prosecutor!

According to the Washington Post, "Ashcroft has moved in recent months to consolidate his control over the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, turning over control of sensitive issues traditionally handled by career lawyers to more conservative political appointees. On a variety of issues, including voting rights and employment discrimination, Ashcroft aides have moved to limit the input of career employees, in some cases meeting with defendants without informing the career lawyers handling the cases or allowing them to be present... Political staff also took control of the department's consideration of Mississippi's redistricting plan." Judiciary Chair Pat Leahy (D-VT) sent Ashcroft a letter demanding answers. "You stated repeatedly at your confirmation hearing that it is an Attorney General's duty to enforce the law as written, regardless of his or her personal beliefs." But Ashcroft is doing the opposite, so his sworn statements were lies. Impeach Ashcroft!

Ashcroft has already done enough things to make all truly patriotic Americans - including us - insane. But according to SF Gate columnist Mark Moford, Aschroft's singing proves Ashcroft himself is insane. "But now this. Now the public singing. You have to see this. It is incredible and sad. It is available via CNN, right here. Go ahead. Click. You simply must... It would all be charming and funny and cute and demented and ultimately forgettable were the man not so powerful, not so draconian and McCarthy-like and ferociously detrimental to the country's health. Go ahead. Sit back, have a shot or six of tequila, take a deep breath, steel yourself and listen to the tune again. Sing along, even. Wave a flag, stroke a rifle barrel and feel, just feel your sense of all that is good and right and remotely melodious in the world wither and die. Soar, eagle, soar."

"Since John Ashcroft became US attorney general last year, workers at the department of justice have become accustomed to his daily prayer meetings, but some are now drawing the line at having to sing patriotic songs penned by their idiosyncratic boss. Mr Ashcroft, a devout Christian and a grittily determined singer, went public with one of his works last month, when he surprised an audience at a North Carolina seminary with a rendition of Let the Eagle Soar, a tribute to America's virtues, which continues: 'Like she's never soared before, from rocky coast to golden shore, let the mighty eagle soar,' and so on for four minutes. The performance (which can be seen and heard at cnn.com/video/us/2002/02/25/ashcroft.sings.wbtv.med.html) was accompanied only by taped music, but Mr Ashcroft's staff are complaining that printed versions of the song are being distributed at meetings so that they will be able to join in." So reports the Guardian.

When Pat Robertson's hand-picked Attorney General John Ashcroft told the National Religious Broadcasters Convention, "We are a nation called to defend freedom -- a freedom that is not the grant of any government or document but is our endowment from God," was he speaking in Reconstructionist code? "John Ashcroft [as well as Tom DeLay & Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson] is a Christian Reconstructionist. [Some] Christian Reconstructionists believe and proclaim that the secular government of laws and civil liberties of the United States be replaced with theocratic rule, rule by Biblical dictate. It should be noted that 'Freedom' in the context of some puritan strains of the Christian faith . . . means freedom from evil, a state of spiritual purity. Civil liberties that may allow an expression of sin are not considered legitimate." So writes Kent Southard in BushWatch.

"The unspecified terrorist threat against Boston that scared many city residents and suburbanites away from downtown for a weekend last September was based on lies that an undocumented immigrant told investigators... The purported threats were immediately brought to the attention of President Bush, FBI director Robert S. Mueller, and Ashcroft. Federal investigators had not been able to verify Martinez-Flores's claims before Ashcroft warned Swift and Menino, US officials acknowledged yesterday. Martinez-Flores, 28, later admitted that he made it all up." Hey John, congratulations on your outstanding work - NOT!

Speaking to a group of Christian broadcasters in Nashville this week, John Ashcroft lapsed into a religious rant that implied that the War on Terrorism is a holy war rooted in religion - on both sides. Many listeners, we hear, were quite alarmed by the tone of this speech - coming as it was from the Attorney General of the United States! Barry W. Lynn, who is president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State (and testified against Ashcroft during his confirmation hearings). said "at a minimum, it seems to increase the perception that [Ashcroft] cannot separate his religious agenda from his public office." James Zogby, Pres. of the Arab-American Institute, said Ashcroft now appears to be putting himself forward not as an attorney general, but as a religious leader. What's next, prayer meetings in place of press conferences?

"In 'Alice in Wonderland,' the Queen of Hearts dispensed justice with an even hand. For all accused, she insisted on 'sentence first, verdict afterward.' The queen was keen on the ends of justice and saw the means as a tiring inconvenience. Increasingly, the U.S. Justice Department seems to be taking a lead from the jurisprudence of the Red Queen and, if the case of Lotfi Raissi is any indication, it is rivaling Lewis Carroll in its ability to spin a tale. This week, Raissi was released by a British court after five months of incarceration during which the U.S. Justice Department sought his extradition. The U.S. government now stands accused of misleading the court and withholding exculpatory evidence... This is why our conduct in Britain deserves investigation to determine if the world's greatest democracy returned to the courts of our ancestors and adopted practices that would make the Red Queen blush." So writes law professor Jonathan Turley in the LA Times.

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) for federal employees is trying to sue American Management Systems for $350 million for its failure to deliver a working computer system. TSP runs a 401(k)-like plan for 2.6 million federal employees, including our soldiers fighting in Afghanistan. But to file this lawsuit, the TSP board needs a lawyer. Usually, the Justice Department represents government agencies. But guess what - John Ashcroft refuses to represent the TSP, and won a lawsuit to stop TSP from hiring any OTHER lawyers. Why is B%$# undermining the retirement fund for 2.6 million federal employees? According to Buzzflash, the Republican Party took $80,000 from - you guessed it - American Management Systems. We demand a Congressional investigation!

Roll Call reports, "Rep. Steve LaTourette's (R-Ohio) frustration over the Bush administration's refusal to hand over documents about FBI malfeasance boiled down to a blunt message: 'The conclusion reached by the Justice Department is crap.' ..: Last week the four-term Republican launched a sprawling tirade during a full Government Reform Committee hearing called to examine why the White House has invoked executive privilege in refusing to turn over internal Justice Department documents that may shed light on FBI corruption in Boston. 'I wish I could be more artful, but I'm pissed off by the posture you put this committee in,' LaTourette [said] ... 'The administration is making the Republicans in the United States Congress and the White House look bad by this decision,' he said. 'I never thought I would see the day [where I'd] have that kind of difficulty and this kind of legal mumbo jumbo from an administration of my own party. It's an embarrassment to me as a Republican.'"

"The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with the Million Mom March asked U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft to recuse himself from all matters related to firearms policy. In January, Mr. Ashcroft announced that he would recuse himself from the investigation of Enron Corporation because he had received approximately $50,000 dollars in campaign contributions from Enron in his failed 2000 Senate re-election Campaign. Citing the Enron recusal, the Brady Campaign is requesting that Attorney General Ashcroft also remove himself from firearms policy decisions, as he benefited from more than $370,000 in campaign contributions from the gun industry and the National Rifle Association (NRA) in the 2000 election cycle - an amount that exceeds far Enron's political donations."

"Andrew Tobias, the financial writer and Democratic Party treasurer, had written...in November that an Ashcroft advance team 'had shown up at the American Embassy in The Hague to check out the digs, saw cats in residence, and got nervous. They were worried there might be a calico cat. No, they were told, no calicos. Visible relief. Their boss, they explained, believes calico cats are signs of the devil. (The advance team also spotted a naked woman in the courtyard and discussed its being covered for the visit, though that request was not ultimately made.)' Mindy Tucker, then Mr. Ashcroft's press secretary, told me he had laughed and said it was silly...But then a few days later, a friend…told me that the Art Deco statue of Justice, 12 feet high, buxom and partly nude under a toga, which had been in the Great Hall since the department was built as a W.P.A. project, had been hidden behind a 'blue-nosed blue curtain'...Now it turns out the prudish curtains are a permanent fixture of the Ashcroft era at $8,650."

"The latest stimulating news from our autocratic attorney general is that he wants to 'relax' restrictions that presently prohibit the FBI from spying on America's church and political groups. Ashcroft is out to revive 'Cointelpro,' the notorious FBI domestic surveillance program that the paranoid J. Edgar Hoover established during his reign of error. It was Cointelpro spooks that secretly spied on, infiltrated, and tried to undermine such legitimate, peaceful dissidents in our country as Martin Luther King Jr., Students for a Democratic Society, and the anti-war movement. This was more than impolite, it was un-American, for Cointelpro agents were directed to 'disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize' groups that the Powers That Be simply didn't like. Now, your attorney general wants to bring this dark force into your church or political discussion group." So writes Jim Hightower.

From the New Republic: "Ashcroft, you see, is the last person who should be accusing others of undermining a war effort, given his own sorry performance during the Vietnam War. While attending Yale and then the University of Chicago Law School in the 1960s, Ashcroft repeatedly sought and received student deferments from his local draft board in Springfield, Missouri. In this, Ashcroft was hardly unique. But, as The Boston Globe reported last January, when Ashcroft graduated from law school in 1967 he took the far less common step of seeking an occupational deferment granted to those who hold critical civilian jobs. (Out of 35 million men registered with the Selective Service in 1967, only 264,000 received occupational deferments.) The 'critical' job in question? Teaching business law to undergrads at Southwest Missouri State University--an assignment he lined up with the help of a family friend."

Attorney General John Ashcroft has been sounding a lot like former Senator Joseph McCarthy, infamous for starting the "Red Scare" of the 1950's, finding communists at every turn, especially in people who disagreed with his witch hunt. Test your knowledge of history and the present. See if you can tell Ashcroft from McCarthy in this "who said it" test at morons.org.

"Ashcroft's idea of protecting freedom is simply misguided and counterproductive. In the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, Ashcroft was given the opportunity to explain his plan for safeguarding American freedom. He explained his support for two major changes in the way we interpret the American Constitution. He first explained that Americans should disregard the First Amendment and stated that in his opinion, all American citizens who exercise their First Amendment rights are terrorists. Then, he explained his idea to extend Second Amendment gun rights to non-citizens and suspected terrorists." So writes Michael Schiller.

"It's too bad no one had that sense of outrage to condemn U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft - a former U.S. senator - at Thursday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on questions of how the Bush administration is conducting investigations into terrorist activities. To those who have expressed concerns about secretly jailing suspects, eavesdropping on lawyer-client conversations and secret military tribunals, Ashcroft had the audacity to say they are aiding the enemy. That was contemptible... To that, it must be said: Sir, have you no shame? At long last, have you no shame?" So writes the Des Moines Register.

"So, the attorney general of the United States tells me: 'To those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists.'Well, screw you, buddy! What are you trying to say? Are you saying that anyone who talks about civil rights, civil liberties and the freedom that makes us Americans is a traitor in this undeclared but loudly proclaimed war?... (1) I am no traitor, and neither is anyone else who questions sweeping expansion of government power to search people's homes and minds; (2) if someone or something has to be blamed and castigated for the breakdown in American security analysis that occurred so horrifically on Sept. 11, we should start with the foul-ups of the government itself in allowing terrorist networks to develop almost openly over the past 10 years." So writes columnist Richard Reeves.

"'We need honest, reasoned debate not fear mongering,' Ashcroft said. 'To those who pit Americans against immigrants and citizens against noncitizens, to those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this, your tactics only aid terrorists for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve. They give ammunition to American's enemies and pause to America's friends'" Gee John, if you are such a champion for non-citizens how come you are detaining hundreds of them without due process? "Holding up a copy of an al Qaeda manual, Ashcroft said that terrorist networks seek to use American freedoms against the United States. 'We are at a war with an enemy that abuses individual rights. . . .," he said. 'Defending our nation and its citizens against terrorist attacks is now our first law enforcement priority.'" To protect our freedoms, we must eliminate them. Freedom is Slavery. War is Peace. Arbeit Macht Frei.

"Religious zeal, it turns out, is a mighty wobbly touchstone for balanced political leadership. Osama bin Laden has been proving that principle quite convincingly, you'd have to say. So has Mullah Mohammed Omar, his seemingly cornered host. Yesterday in Washington, to a lesser though still rattling extent, John Ashcroft proved it too…His own spiritual allegiance lies with the fundamental wing of American Christianity - Pentecostalism, to be precise. Which is his right, of course. And on issue after issue, from Missouri politics to the U.S. Senate and now to the Justice Department, Ashcroft has fashioned his personal beliefs into a staunch political agenda, becoming a true stalwart of the American religious right. But zeal is zeal, and good luck convincing this zealot the meaning of civic restraint. God knows Ashcroft's old Senate colleagues tried yesterday." So writes Ellis Henican.

"But this week we learned the truth about John Ashcroft, and it's ugly. In his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, the attorney general said that fighting terrorism must be 'our first law-enforcement priority.' Now it turns out that the war is not his first priority after all. His top goal—trumping everything else—is to coddle the National Rifle Association, even to the point of providing misleading testimony. The 'walnut' is a gun nut, and everything else is secondary. Even the security of this nation. To pursue his pro-gun agenda, Ashcroft is willing to make himself a hypocrite, misstate the law, defy the FBI and jeopardize his investigation of Al Qaeda. Even the fiercest Ashcroft critics couldn't have imagined it. The FBI is furious, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police has filed a protest." So writes Jonathan Alter.

"Foreigners who give the U.S. government useful information about terrorists could be put on a fast track to American citizenship under a program announced Thursday. Attorney General John Ashcroft offered the carrot while defending the administration's stick in the domestic war on terrorism - its decision to allow the creation of secretive military courts to try accused terrorists...The 'responsible cooperators program' would defer deportation indefinitely for illegal aliens who qualify, and allow those with visa problems to enter the country...It would be up to federal prosecutors to decide whether the information provided meets the standard, Justice Department officials said." The danger, of course, is that the Justice Dept could use the promise of citizenship as a reward for those who help nail whomever Ashcroft deems a "terrorist" -- perhaps even with false testimony. Increasingly, Bush-Ashcroft seem to be on a witchhunt.

"Yet Mr. Ashcroft's record on civil liberties and the Constitution long ago betrayed his tendency toward the authoritarian, if not the dictatorial. As long ago as 1989, while governor of Missouri, he sought to abolish bail for certain defendants accused of selling drugs, an attempted abrogation of a basic right that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch denounced as 'hysteria.' And from there he went on to do worse. Upon reaching the Senate, Mr. Ashcroft displayed an unseemly desire to deface the document he was sworn to uphold, in ways that inevitably would undermine individual liberty. During his six-year tenure, he introduced or sponsored at least seven constitutional amendments; by comparison, that isn't too far short of the total number of amendments in the two centuries since the founders ratified the first 10, also known as the Bill of Rights." So writes Joe Conason.

"Attorney General John Ashcroft will face a tough grilling from lawmakers in coming weeks over President Bush's proposal to create secret military tribunals and employ other 'ad hoc, outside the justice system methods' to fighting terrorism, the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman said on Sunday". Sen. Patrick "Leahy, who negotiated the anti-terror legislation with Ashcroft last month, noted on NBC's 'Meet the Press' that the attorney general had held out the likelihood of immediate arrests of terror suspects once those new prosecutorial powers were granted. The wave of arrests did not materialize, and Ashcroft has instead announced new measures including a proposal for secret military tribunals that would not follow the usual rules and standards of the U.S. criminal justice system, Leahy said."

The St. Petersburg Times writes, "During the confirmation hearing of Attorney General John Ashcroft, Democratic senators wanted to know whether Ashcroft's religious and ideological conservatism would influence federal law enforcement on controversial social issues. At the time, Ashcroft promised to apply the law objectively, even if it meant going against his personal beliefs. Now senators who took him at his word must feel betrayed." In other words, Ashcroft Lied. Which is exactly what we said during his hearings (http://democrats.com/ashcroftlied). Senator Feingold, are you listening?

"Ashcroft has based a challenge to the nation's only assisted suicide law on a seemingly unrelated issue -- using marijuana for medical purposes...[he] said a unanimous Supreme Court ruling in May on medical marijuana forced him to reconsider whether the Oregon assisted-suicide law conflicts with the federal Controlled Substances Act...The day before the directive was published, the state of Oregon sued Ashcroft, seeking to block it from taking effect. U.S. District Judge Robert Jones granted a temporary restraining order until Nov. 20, when he has scheduled another hearing. Said law prof. James O'Fallon, 'The great irony of this is that we are dealing both with an administration and ultimately a Supreme Court who purport to place great value on state sovereignty and states exercising control over the everyday lives of their people instead of having the federal government intrude.'" Except in Oregon and Florida.

Senate Judiciary Chair Pat Leahy (D-VT) sent a stinging letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft about his massive violation of civil liberties, including indefinite detentions and eavesdropping on client-attorney conversations. Leahy asks tough questions, and he wants answers. Read the letter - and join in the discussion of our Constitutional crisis (registration required).

The Washington Post writes, "When Mr. Ashcroft sought broad new powers to combat terrorism, the Justice Department responded to fears of abuse by insisting that it could be trusted. Since then, it has responded to calls for the release of the names of the nearly 1,200 people it has detained by announcing that it would, henceforth, no longer release even the tally of people it has locked up. Now it has -- without any congressional involvement -- created a rule that attacks a basic foundation of the judicial system. The trust is wearing thin." Ashcroft's entire career has been devoted to imposing fundamentalist authoritarian policies against the will of the people. He is a key member of the extremist Federalist Society. We never trusted Ashcroft to begin with, and urged the Senate to defeat him. The Washington Post is WAY too gentle. Ashcroft must resign immediately, and our civil rights must be restored.

At a time when the public's nerves are already on edge, John Ashcroft carelessly sent chills through Boston by declaring that Boston might be targeted for a terrorist attack this weekend. Ashcroft's warning, which made the front pages of Boston's newspapers, was based on a mistranslation of a "totally innocuous" recording by an FBI translator who is not a native Arabic speaker. Even the FBI rushed to discredit Ashcroft's false alarm.

"President [sic] Bush is prepared to intervene on behalf of the Justice Department in an attempt to stop a House committee from getting internal documents related to alleged Democratic fundraising abuses, escalating a standoff between the administration and a Republican lawmaker, officials said yesterday. By preparing to invoke executive privilege -- a doctrine allowing presidents to protect internal discussions from becoming public -- the Bush administration signaled it would support Attorney General John D. Ashcroft in a growing dispute with Rep. Dan Burton (Ind.), a fellow Republican and chairman of the Government Reform Committee." Sneaky move by the Bush gang. By invoking executive privilege for investigations into Democrats – they have deflected from Cheney's refusal to provide documents. This is also a preamble for likely CYA's by the Bushies when the Democratic Senate investigates them.

In Sept. 1999, the federal justice department filed a lawsuit against the tobacco industry on behalf of the American people. The suit was meant to hold the industry accountable for decades of gross deception at the expense of public health (i.e., years and years of bald-faced lies). But just as the lawsuit was slated to move forward full steam, in steps John Ashcroft, who yanks the suit's funding in an effort to derail it. But Ashcroft didn't count on the Democrats reclaiming control of the Senate, or on Sen. Dick Durbin initiating an investigation into Ashcroft's apparent sabotage of the lawsuit. This week, in a move as transparent as cheap plastic wrap, Ashcroft suddenly announced he would now fully fund the lawsuit. So I guess we're all supposed to be so excited he's decided to do his real job instead of terrorizing reporters that any investigation will be dropped. We say, go get him, Dick!

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee has demanded that Ashcroft prove there was sufficient cause to subpoena the personal phone records of reporter John Solomon. The phone records were seized in May after Solomon mentioned in an article that NJ Sen. Torricelli was the target of a government wiretap. Ashcroft also had another reporter jailed for failing to turn over notes she had made while researching a murder case for a book. "There is no question that efforts by the Justice Department to subpoena the records of a reporter should be done with caution and only when the needs of justice are great," wrote Grassley in a letter to the Justice Dept. Grassley asked for a "timeline of all relevant events regarding the subpoena, all related documents, and a listing of all individuals who were involved or advised in the decision..." Grassley said that "going after reporters' telephone records with a subpoena should happen almost never." Kudos, Senator!

Under Janet Reno, the Justice Department cooperated with Congress in providing decision-making memos on key investigations. In fact, then-Senator John Ashcroft demanded such memos from Reno. But now that he's Attorney General, Ashcroft refuses to provide these decision memos to Congress. This has enraged Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN), who is threatening to force Ashcroft to answer questions before his Government Reform committee.

Newspapers across the country have condemned Attorney General John Aschcroft for issuing a secret subpoena for the phone records of AP reporter John Solomon, who was investigating the investigation of Senator Bob Torricelli (D-NJ). These newspapers seem surprised that Ashcroft doesn't believe in the First Amendment. In fact, Ashcroft probably opposes all of these amendments: 1st (free speech), 4th (unreasonable search & seizure), 5th (self-incrimination), 8th (cruel & unusual punishment), 12th (Pres & VP from different states), 13th (abolishing slavery), 14th (equal protection for ex-slaves), 15th (voting rights for ex-slaves), 16th (income taxes), and 19th (voting rights for women). The ONLY amendment Ashcroft supports is the 2nd (bear arms), which he deliberately misreads to guarantee that any individual can own and carry an Uzi - or probably even a nuke.

In May, AP reporter John Solomon mentioned in an article that Sen. Robert Torricelli had been recorded on a wiretap as discussing fund raising with relatives of a prominent Chicago crime figure. In Ashcroft's fervor to "get" Torricelli (who campaigned last year for the man who beat Ashcroft in the U.S. senate race in MO last year) the justice department slapped Solomon with a subpoena and seized his telephone records for early May. This is an outrageous overstepping of federal authority, to say the least. Not to mention using the U.S. Justice Dept. as an instrument of personal revenge. AP Pres. Louis D. Boccardi says: "We are outraged by what the Justice Department has done and we will seek any available legal redress." Ashcroft thinks he's fooling the public by claiming he has "disqualified" himself from the matter.

Yep, he's gonna clean up this country! Forget small time stuff like stealing a national election, subversion of the constitution, the theft of billions of federal dollars by corporations who never pay a dime in taxes. Nope, Boss Ashcroft is gonna go after the BIG FISH: rigged monopoly games! His first big bust: McDonald's Happy Meal gang, who defrauded the public by purloining the winning monopoly stickers off fries and soft drinks. An inside source says they saw gang leader Ronald McDonald being hustled to an FBI limo in handcuffs. They had some trouble shoving him into the back seat on account of his gigantic shoes and yellow bloomers, but managed to get the door shut just as the press corps descended. Bush, who has collected every McDonald's action figure since the 1970s (he got hooked on the Star Wars collection) was said to be badly shaken by the event. Meanwhile, Ashcroft proclaimed, "Those involved in this type of corruption will find out that breaking the law is no game."

Speaking to the American Bar Association, Attorney General John Ashcroft lied repeatedly. For example: "The president has unequivocally rejected any notion of an issue-specific or political litmus test." We GUARANTEE that all of Bush's nominees will oppose abortion. Next, Bush insists"only that the only value his candidates share is a dedication to the rule of law and an understanding of the proper role of a federal judge - a role that leaves policy-making to the American people and their elected representatives." If that were true, Bush would have denounced the Supreme Court's illegal ruling in Bush v. Gore, and would have conceded the election to the true winner, Al Gore.

Journalist Vanessa Leggett was arrested Friday "for refusing to turn over notes, tape recordings and other material made while researching a book on a murder case... The attorney general has been required since 1973 to personally approve every subpoena issued to a reporter as well as every time the arrest of a reporter is sought... The hearing was closed to the public at the government's request. The transcript remains sealed. Even the name of the judge who sentenced her for contempt of court has not been made public. 'It's one thing to incarcerate a member of the press for not doing what the government wants. But to do it in secret and threaten to jail (her) lawyer for talking about the details is outrageous,' said Mike DeGuerin, Leggett's attorney. He said the government is seeking all of Leggett's material, including all originals and copies. 'This is the worst case of government overreach I've ever seen,' DeGuerin said." We demand immediate Senate oversight hearings!

Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson was severely reprimanded and his sentence of Microscoft thrown out just because he made a few remarks after the fact, in voicing his opinion of Bill Gates. Now our top "guardian of justice," John Ashcroft has done far worse - he has undermined a case BEFORE the fact. Rather than a few off-hand comments, he has written a letter on the official U.S. letterhead to the NRA stating his disdain for the U.S. official position in the upcoming case of the U.S. versus Emerson (which focuses on the Second Amendment). In response to this travesty, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and Common Cause have filed an ethics complaint against Ashcroft, asserting that he has violated his ethical obligations to the US. Specifically, he misled the Senate and the American people during his confirmation hearings by vowing to set his personal opinion aside and uphold the nation's gun laws.

"A top House Democrat charged the Justice Department yesterday with leaking dirt on Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-N.J.) to knock him out of office and win back the Senate. In an angry faceoff at a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) told Attorney General John Ashcroft that 'your Justice Department has been leaking like Niagara Falls.' Conyers charged that the leaks about Torricelli, who is under investigation for alleged influence peddling and fund-raising violations, have increased since Sen. Jim Jeffords switched from Republican to Independent and threw control of the Senate to the Democrats. Conyers said the leaking suggested that 'this White House and Justice Department intend to use the criminal justice processes to retake the Senate' by indicting Torricelli and letting New Jersey Gov. Donald DiFrancesco, a Republican, appoint a successor."

Ashcroft has commandeered the Main Justice building of the Department of Justice as a mini-church, with Bible study held each day at 8:00 a.m. Although the DoJ is supposedly dedicated to upholding our laws and Constitution (which has as a cornerstone the separation of chuch and state), Ashcroft says this practice has no bearing on his job. Then, just what is your job, bud - Attorney Evangelical? If so, thanks for picking the "state religion" for us all - Pentecostal. How do you Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, agnostics, and atheists feel about that? Let Ashcroft know! (By the way, cheers to Dan Eggen of the Post for the guts to do the story!)

"Cincinnati is a textbook example of the legal blind eye locals have turned toward police violence. Since 1995, Cincinnati cops have gunned down 15 black males. During the same period, not a single white was killed by police. The latest black victim, 19-year-old Timothy Thomas, was unarmed. His big crime was that he failed to appear in court on misdemeanor charges...black leaders don't expect much to come of [the local prosecution]. That's why they want the feds to intervene. But they won't get much from them, either. …the Justice Department has done almost nothing to nail murderous cops. According to a 1999 report on police misconduct by Human Rights Watch,…in 1998 federal prosecutors brought excessive-force charges against police officers in less than 1 percent of the cases investigated by the FBI that involved allegations of police abuse… With ultraconservative [Attorney General] John Ashcroft…there's little hope that this will change anytime soon." So writes Earl Ofari Hutchinson.

When former Sen. John Ashcroft (R-MO) briefly ran for President in 1998, his presidential PAC spent $2 million building a mailing list of 100,000 names. When Ashcroft ran for re-election to the Senate in 2000, his Presidential campaign contributed the maximum PAC-to-PAC amount of $10,000 - then donated the $2 million list. Common Cause and others say Ashcroft broke the law, and have filed a complaint with the FEC. We'll be watching carefully!

While grand jury proceedings are under way to investigate charges of St. Louis voter fraud and minority disenfranchisement, the city is jumpy over possible fraud in the upcoming primary election. Attorney General John Ashcroft has announced that he will send "monitors" to St. Louis to "take appropriate action." Coming from the man who repeatedly denied St. Louis blacks their rights when he was Missouri's Attorney General and Governor, these words offer little reassurance. Also, notice how the author of this NY Times article includes an outrageous racist comment without attribution or critique. "There also is plenty of talk — unsubstantiated — that Republican election officials are intent on making it difficult for blacks to vote, while Democratic election officials are intent on making it too easy for blacks to vote." Now what is wrong with making it "too easy" for anyone to vote - as long as it is within the law? Substitute "white" for "black" to see how bigoted this remark is.

Former Montana Governor Marc Racicot was the Bush team's choice for Attorney General. During the Florida controversy, Racicot proved his fanatical devotion to the Bush Putsch by ranting on TV that Gore was "declaring war" on American military men overseas. Racicot's ravings were not only borderline seditious, they were also downright false, since Gore had every right to require that only legal overseas ballots be counted, since such ballots have been a source of voter fraud in the past -- especially in Florida. But Racicot's anti-abortion position wasn't extreme enough for the Religious Right. So a group of religious conservatives including Michael Novak (once head of a Rev. Moon-linked group that funneled money to the Contras) had a professor write a paper stating their case against Racicot. Then the hard core Falwell/Robertson/Council on National Policy group joined in the chorus opposing Racicot. The CNP had been laying low during the campaign -- to not frighten moderates -- but they wanted payback for helping demolish McCain's candidacy. It was the CNP group that pressured Karl Rove into dropping Racicot and selecting Ashcroft.

Well Johnny Boy Ashcroft asked Janet Reno to lunch -- and she showed him who was in charge. How they demeaned and slandered Janet the past eight years! The only thing that she might have been guilty of was trying to be TOO fair! John Ashcroft, you'll never fill her shoes. Not even a chance.

John "Confederacy" Ashcroft is blaming Bill Clinton for teen drug use because Clinton said in 1992 that he didn't inhale. We knew that Johnny boy was a liar and a hypocrite, but now we also know he must be plain dumb. And by the way, John, did you ever ask Dubya about what all that white powder was he had under his nose during his salad days? Just asking. After all, we're talking about role models here.

In the American Prospect, Randall Kennedy writes: "Some Democrats said in private that permitting Ashcroft to become attorney general after raising doubts about his fitness is ultimately a good thing because his presence in the cabinet will provide a vivid rallying point in the years and battles to come. They will be satisfied with having put Ashcroft on the hot seat, depriving him of a broad-based vote of confidence from his former colleagues, and eliciting from him some ambiguous pledges. That is, I think, a mistake. The attorney general's office is sufficiently important and John Ashcroft is sufficiently bad for the job that Democrats should have done what it took to defeat him. The Democratic senators could do that--if they possessed the political will. But alas, they do not. They are simply not as tough, united, disciplined, fervent, self-confident, and audacious as their Republican foes. In the battle over Ashcroft, the Democratic Party risks more than losing a single engagement. It risks losing the allegiance of an ever larger number of people who yearn for politicians willing to fight to the bitter end for progressive aims."

"I want you to turn around, look me in the eye and say that again," I demanded. This time he said it with defiant gusto, "I said Thurgood Marshall is a leftist, communist, radical pig." It was Andy Ashcroft, son of then-Governor John Ashcroft.

Hey, we've got a leader here. Send Barbara Boxer a note of thanks for standing up for justice. She's always there for us on core Democratic and progressive issues. She needs to know that you appreciate her taking the lead against Ashcroft. Reward the righteous senators. If your Senator(s) voted against Ashcroft, send them a note too.

MSNBC report Tom Curry's review of the Ashcroft battle compares it to the Spanish Civil War, which served as a prelude to World War II. We'll take that analogy, since the Fascists won the first skirmish but ultimately lost the war. And the far right was only able to prevail because the forces of democracy and freedom were not united. This is a perfect analogy to what comes next in American politics -- the construction of a center-left coalition to resist the hard right turn Bush mistakenly believes he has a mandate to take the U.S.

Like most of Bush's propoganda, the talk of election reform is just window dressing to get people like Tom Daschle and Russ Feingold to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Of course, he doesn't mean a word of it, not a word.

You bet. Take Dick Durbin, a Democrat from the Heartland State of Illinois. He voted against Norton as Secretary of the Interior (only 24 Democratic Senators did) and Ashcroft. He and Kennedy gave Ashcroft the only real hard questions during the Judiciary Committee hearing, although Leahy sort of tried. Read his statement on Ashcroft that he delivered on the Senate floor. It will make you remember why you are a Democrat.

"Democrats could have sent a loud message to Bush. But not with their whimpers against John Ashcroft." So says Dick Meyer of CBSNews.com.

In the end, 42 Democrats voted against Ashcroft - which would have been enough to defeat him, if Just One Senator had been willing to wage a filibuster. With extreme right-wingers in charge of the Supreme Court and the Justice Department, there is not a prayer of getting justice in America. It's a very, very sad day.

"Where are the holier-than-thou congressmen who hounded Clinton," writes Cynthia Tucker in today's Atlanta Journal Constitution. "Where are the leaders of the Christian right to remind Ashcroft that a lie told by a man who sings in a gospel quartet is no different than a lie told by a man who plays the saxophone? If lying under oath is a sin worthy of impeachment, it ought to easily earn a vote against confirmation." As she points out, Ashcroft's biggest lie is that he did not vote against James Hormel's nomination to be Ambassador to Luxembourg because he was gay, but because his service as ambassador would have been an affront to the country's large Catholic population. Huh? And why might that be?

"[Feingold] said that he might be naive, but we think he's just plain delusional. The Republicans are run like the Mafia; they'll do just what Lott and Bush tell them to." Democrats.com co-founder Bob Fertik had a few other carefully-chosen (well, almost!) words for the Senate Democrats during an interview with Salon.

Months of hearings and millions of dollars to look for violations of the campaign finance laws in the 1996 Clinton campaign, yet the Senate is unwilling to even ask about Ashcroft's clear violation of the law in financing his own campaigns. The Washington Post must feel like we do these days, like they are talking to some future special prosecutor who has not been named yet and who never will be if we permit the Republicans to control the public agenda.

Bush's promise to bring civility to Washington was deep-sixed during the Senate debate on John Ashcroft. One Republican aftern another rose to denounce "radical extremists" - like People for the American Way, NARAL, and the National Organization for Women, which represent millions of mainstream Americans. Several Republicans slandered Democratic Senators by accusing them of opposing Ashcroft because he is a "Christian," while not so subtly referring to Jewish Democratic Senators. When Republican thugs stopped the Miami-Dade recount in November, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) said "the whiff of fascism is in the air." There's a whiff in the Senate chamber too...

The Republicans so dominate the Washington power structure now that they will have their way and confirm an Attorney General who committed perjury during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Because of the deal he apparently struck with Trent Lott and the White House, Tom Daschle will only allow token resistance. Thus, the Democrats will once again be enablers to a travesty of justice.

Sen Bob Smith (R-NH), who ran for President so far to the right that he actually quit the Republican Party, said during the Ashcroft debate, "The election is over, hello? The election is over folks. The president of the United States should pick his cabinet." Bush stole the election, hello? He does not have a mandate to appoint extremists like John Ashcroft, hello? The people who know Ashcroft best - his Missouri constituents - voted for a dead man instead of him, hello?

On PBS' NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Daschle said "I really believe that our base cares more about this. When I say our base, I'm just talking about the vast number of constituencies out there -- the African-American community, the Hispanic and Asian communities, the women who make up a large percentage of our membership in our party. More and more of these groups have expressed heartfelt concern and very passionate objections to the record of John Ashcroft, the promises, the statements -- many of the actions taken by this nominee over the course of many years. There is a very deeply held point of view that I think needs to be articulated and considered as our votes are cast." But he said Democrats did not filibuster because "we've got to show that we are going to be responsible partners and that we are invested in this process." Unfortunately, the only "process" we can see is Republicans fight, while Democrats surrender.

Let's see, now where is that exemption to the Thou Shalt Not Lie clause of the Ten Commandments? If you attend church regularly and invoke the name of God frequently do you get a pass on that one? John Aravosis examines the Ashcroft Exemption, which apparently permits Ashcroft to lie under oath. Be sure to read what each of the hypocritical Republican Senators had to say about perjury at Clinton's impeachment trial, which is not what they're saying any more.

While he was attorney general of Missouri, John Ashcroft made use of a state employee to conduct fund raising and other election activities, used letterhead with the attorney general's seal to solicit donations from contributors, and had an associate solicit campaign contributions from a business consultant to the subject of an investigation by Ashcroft's office, court records show. Should the Chief Law Enforcement Officer have a rap sheet like this??

Sen. Ted Kennedy (MA) says he's abandoning his filibuster because he only has 25 supporters, even though 40 Democrats plan to vote against Ashcroft. But we believe the case against Ashcroft is so overwhelming, that when all the facts are presented in the course of the filibuster, we'll get the 41 votes we need to sustain the filibuster. Unfortunately, there won't be a filibuster unless ONE Senator has the courage to step forward and make it happen. Just like during the Florida Elector campaign, our cry is: JUST ONE SENATOR! Help us find that one Senator!!!

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) hit the nail on the head when he said "maybe I'm naive," before announcing that he would be the only Democrat on the Judiciary Committee supporting Ashcroft. Feingold outlined several "conditions" for his vote, such as Republicans nominating Justice Ronnie White for the next available Federal judgeship. What planet have you been living on for the past 8 years, Russ?? No judge will be appointed in this administration unless they are part of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy centered in the Federalist Society!

You would think that the number one pre-requisite for being Attorney General is honesty. But for Republicans, and the lobotomized Russ Feingold, dishonesty doesn't disqualify you from upholding the "rule of law." It's that old GOP double standard at work again. Democrats lie and should be struck down: Republicans lie and should be embraced as people of integrity. That's a crime. But the second crime is that the Democrats in Congress let them get away with it. As for Feingold, someone should check to see if he's from another planet.

The Senate will vote on the Ashcroft nomination on Thursday. Join us in taking action NOW to stop Ashcroft from becoming the most extreme Attorney General in history. Call your Senators, and help us organize rallies in key states. Send lozenges and filibuster care packages too - 27 have already been delivered!

They say there are three rules for arguing with someone you love: Don't change the subject, don't raise your voice and don't try to win. We'll concede the first two points, but our love for Senator Patrick Leahy is being sorely tested these days by his refusal to support a filibuster against Ashcroft. We intend to win on this and want to win Leahy over. To give him the benefit of the doubt, perhaps he just hasn't been able to witness firsthand the breadth and depth of the opposition to Ashcroft. So if you can find a minute please call Senator Leahy's Washington office at 202-224-4242 and send him a fax to 202-224-3479. Ashcroft Lied, plain and simple, and does not have the moral authority to successfully carry the authority he would need as our nation's chief law enforcement officer. The Constitution makes it clear -- the Senate can either give or withhold its consent, and this is a time to draw the line and not go along.

We're getting close - but also oh so far! Democratic aides say 35-40 Democrats could vote against Ashcroft. But we need 41 to stop him - provided Democrats are willing to show some leadership with a filibuster. Keep calling today and turn out for rallies on Wednesday!!!

Nothing will stop them! After 8 years of hounding the Clinton administration for alleged "dishonesty," after a Presidential campaign in which they slandered Boy Scout Al Gore as Dishonest, the right wing Internet sites continue to practice the big lie. Ironic, isn't it? What's more is that they are practicing the big lie for a man who is supposed to have "integrity" and an honest "heart," according to Dubya. That man, of course, is John Ashcroft, the nefarious Holy Roller, who -- you got it -- lied under oath when he testified before the Judiciary Committee.

Add organized labor to the list of Democratic constituents who will be on Ashcroft's hit list as Attorney General. "In his confirmation hearings, Ashcroft insisted that he can and will enforce the laws he has long opposed. But, as the old saying goes, it's hard for a leopard to change its spots. It's even more difficult to imagine Ashcroft reversing a career of opposition to basic worker protections. The Senate should reject his nomination as attorney general." So pleads the head of the Washington State AFL-CIO.

Sen. Pat Leahy (VT), the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, announced his opposition to Ashcroft. "Senator Ashcroft is a man we know and respect, but a man we also know has held some of the most extreme positions on a variety of the most volatile political and social issues of our time," Leahy said. "I wish the president had sent us a nomination for attorney general that would unite us rather than divide us, but that has not happened." Sen. Hillary Clinton (NY) also announced her opposition. Because opposition to Ashcroft is increasing, Republicans are pushing for a full Senate vote on Wednesday.

John Ashcroft dodged and weaved his way through 368 specific questions asked by Senate Democrats on the Judiciary Committee. He stuck to his extremist positions on abortion, gays, and guns, and race. He and refused to apologize to Judge Ronnie White or gun victim James Brady, whom he previously called "the enemy of responsible gun owners," and refused to condemn the neo-Confederate "Southern Partisan" magazine. Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT) said "the answers are surprisingly unresponsive... They are answers in the sense that there is text after the question marks, but they are not answers to the point of being responsive." These non-answers are likely to tip many Democrats against Ashcroft.

Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle claims the White House misunderstood and/or misquoted him on January 24. As reported in the New York Times, Daschle visited Bush, but according to Daschle he did not reassure Bush that he would get the nominees he wants at Interior and Justice. Read the Daschle statement here.

Well, apparently the fact that Ashcroft epitomizes the banality of evil and has it out for almost every core Democratic Party constituency group is not enough to convince Tom Daschle that the man should not be Attorney General. Now add, according to Anthony Lewis, Ashcroft's unique qualification of being a character assassin. And still our Senate Leader, Mr. Daschle, is lost in the foggy land of fawning over President Select Bush and his "excellent" appointments, including Ashcroft.

The Ashcroft nomination has become a monumental struggle between the powerful right-wing juggernaut that stole the Presidency, and a loose coalition of progressive groups. Each day, a few more Democrats are announcing their opposition to Ashcroft, but the real battle is whether they will filibuster. Bush's spokesman Ari Fleisher lied about the position of Democratic leader Tom Daschle (SD), who personally opposes a filibuster but will not prevent one. So Ted Kennedy (MA) continues to sound out his fellow Democrats, and it's up to grassroots activists to persuade our Democratic Senators to say YES to the Ashcroft filibuster.

In a stunning act of capitulation, Tom Daschle, Democratic Senate Leader, has "promised Bush" that John Ashcroft will be nominated as Attorney General. It is a mind boggling act of betrayal. Anyone reading this article now should call, mail, fax and e-mail your outrage to the office of Tom Daschle. Go to http://www.senate.gov to find his contact information. Women, gays, blacks, and everyone who is not a Christian heterosexual male is at risk because of Tom's act of appeasement. Given 'em Hell. He deserves it and then some.

Democrats and Independents everywhere are outraged at Tom Daschle's act of Judas. Here is a letter one of the stunned and furious Democrat sent to Daschle: " Dear Senator Daschle, I viewed your website and am pleased to know that you had such a fine time at the inauguration of our 43rd president, who received fewer votes than your party's candidate. Your statement that Bush's cabinet choices would be confirmed because..."This was easy work as President Bush has done an excellent job with his cabinet selections." You consider Norton and Ashcroft, who stand for everything the Democrats oppose, are excellent choices? Because of you and the other insignificant little weenies who call themselves Democrats, I am changing my registration to "Independent."

Both newly-elected Democrat Mark Dayton and veteran Democrat Paul Wellstone have announced their opposition to John Ashcroft's nomination for Attorney General. With the addition of Dianne Feinstein (CA), we now count 15 solid votes to reject the nomination!

Ashcroft's "conservative defenders now tell us without blushing that ideology isn’t a valid reason to oppose him. Perhaps they’ve forgotten how eagerly Mr. Ashcroft and others in their camp obstructed President Clinton’s nominees on narrowly ideological grounds. More likely they are pretending to forget, as they pursue their objective of the moment." Joe Conason hits the nail on the head, as always.

Democrats.com and BuzzFlash.com are asking you to send a packet of lozenges to your two homestate senators – and a third packet to Tom Daschle. Why lozenges? Because they will show the Democrats – and errant Republicans – that we are behind them in filibustering the Ashcroft nomination. We will support them as their voices wear thin in standing up for justice.

Senate Democrats postponed a vote on Ashcroft in the Judiciary Committee for a week. They sent Ashcroft 350 follow-up questions, to pin him down on his misleading and dishonest answers. The delay gives progressive activists an extra week to lobby swing Democrats. According to the New York Times, the Senators most in danger of defecting are Tim Johnson (SD), Mary Landrieu (LA) Max Baucus (MT), Jay Rockefeller (WV), and Max Cleland (GA). If they represent you, call them again and again!

"It was not in the United States' best interests for George W. Bush, the incoming president who vowed to unite the country after a bruising and narrowly decided election, to nominate for attorney general a man of such extreme beliefs as John Ashcroft of Missouri." So says the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which urged Washington State's two feminist Democratic Senators - Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell - to oppose Ashcroft.

New Ashcroft Revelation: He Derided "Judicial Tyranny" and Attacked a Judge for Implementing Desegregation Plans. He denounced a judge's efforts "to remedy the vestiges of segregation." Where are Our Democratic Senators Hiding? Can't They Stand Up for Honor and Decency? Do They Have Even An Ounce of Courage? This man has more in common with Timothy McVeigh than he has with the mainstream of America. He also defended his right, once again, to oppose Clinton appointees on ideological grounds.

"We urge a unified Democratic vote in the Senate against confirmation. If 40 or more Democrats cast a vote of principle against Mr. Ashcroft's record, he and Mr. Bush will be on notice that sensitivity to and regard for the beliefs and rights of all Americans have to be governing realities at the Department of Justice."

Momentum for a filibuster is gaining - including an editorial of support from the New York Times. We count 12 solid votes against Ashcroft, but we need 29 more to succeed. Read our latest alert and take action!

Due to Joe Biden's inept questioning of John Ashcroft, we never get to the heart of Ashcroft's racist sympathies as revealed in his Southern Partisan interview. Of course, Joe Biden was equally inept during the Anita Hill hearings. But, you can be certain that Good 'Ol boy Johnnie was speaking in code words that every closet racist could understand. There is a reason, after all, that all the Bob Jones, Confederacy sympathisizers and David Duke supporters love the guy to bits, isn't that obvious? The Democratic senators(with the exception of Kennedy, Durbin and Leahy) just seem, frankly, too dumb to crack the code it seems. Rusell Feingold, in particular, is either completely loopy or had a frontal ethical lobotomy.

Are there only ten reasons the Senate should send Ashcroft packing to a white supremacist retreat? No, but that's all they'll allow in the amount of space it takes to run a newspaper article.

George Clooney proved last night that he's "not just another pretty face." Following earlier precedents set by Marlon Brando and Richard Gere, George chose to use his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes as an opportunity to not-so-subtly take a political stand. He did it with style, humor and grace. "While we're confessing, I'm actually the illegitimate love child of John Ashcroft. I want that out there." He then went on to say, with tongue-deeply-in-cheek, "But I don't want to affect any voting, or anything."

House Republican Whip Tom DeLay (TX) is using one of his corporate slush funds - the Republican Majority Issues Committee, chaired by Karl Gallant - to run attack ads against Democratic Senators, starting with Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson in South Dakota. This action by a House member attacking a Senator raises political warfare to new and dangerous levels.

"Asked by Patrick Leahy, the Judiciary chairman, if he had opposed Mr. Hormel because Mr. Hormel is gay, Mr. Ashcroft answered, 'I did not.' Then why did he oppose Mr. Hormel? 'Well, frankly, I had known Mr. Hormel for a long time. He had recruited me, when I was a student in college, to go to the University of Chicago Law School,' Mr. Ashcroft testified, before adding a cryptic answer he would repeat two times as Mr. Leahy pressed him: 'I made a judgment that it would be ill advised to make him ambassador based on the totality of the record.'" Frank Rich of the New York Times spoke to Hormel, and uncovered more lies by Ashcroft - while under oath. Can anyone spell p-e-r-j-u-r-y?

Even Ashcroft's home state newspaper was highly critical of his misleading testimony to the Senate. "The most disturbing part of Mr. Ashcroft's testimony was his misrepresentation of his opposition to the voluntary school desegregation program in St. Louis. He said the courts had not found the state guilty of wrongdoing, that the state had not been a party to the case when it was ordered to pay for the plan and that he had never defied court orders. In fact, the federal courts found that the state was the primary constitutional wrongdoer and the state was a party to the case. And, in 1981 a federal court criticized the state for deliberately deciding to "defy the authority" of the court. And he continues to misstate the opinion of Judge Ronnie White in a death penalty case that Mr. Ashcroft used to kill Mr. White's nomination to a federal judgeship."

Speaking to a right-wing gatherining in 1997, Ashcroft said: "Can it still be said that citizens control that which matters most? Or have people's lives and fortunes been relinquished to renegade judges, a robed, contemptuous intellectual elite fulfilling Patrick Henry's prophecy, that of turning the courts into, quote, 'nurser[ies] of vice and the bane of liberty'?" But Ashcroft has said nothing about the five 'renegade judges' of the U.S. Supreme Court who stole the 2000 election.

To defeat a filibuster, Republicans need the votes of conservative Democrats like Evan Bayh, but he's firmly opposed to Ashcroft. "An Ashcroft Justice Department will perpetuate divisiveness, partisanship and gridlock. He won't be passive, and he can be expected to champion aggressively the causes he holds dear. In so doing, he will antagonize the president's political opponents, make consensus and principled compromise more difficult and encourage in others the unyielding extremism they perceive in him. The president-elect's apparent management style, favoring substantial delegation of authority, exacerbates this prospect."

Having violated the 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 9th Commandments, Ashcroft would not find favor where he might wish.

"John Ashcroft must be laughing to himself. He knows that if the shoe were on the other foot, he would never confirm an attorney general who had views so antithetical to his own. Maybe he'd find something in the Bible or, as he did with the judicial nomination of Ronnie White, distort the record, but he would be true to his beliefs. His opponents should be true to theirs." So says Richard Cohen in the Washington Post.

It gets more shocking with every repulsive revelation. Now, it appears that John Ashcroft enthusiastically championed a Missouri bill that would have sanctioned the use of force, up to and including deadly force, by third parties (including anti-abortion zealots) to stop certain types of abortions. The man is an abomination and must not be confirmed as attorney general!

A spokesman for Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) confirmed that Kennedy "is signaling a possible filibuster," as Democrats.com reported yesterday. Unnamed Republicans began howling, saying Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle (SD) promised Republicans there would be no filibuster. Daschle could not be reached immediately for comment.

Justice Ronnie White got his chance to expose the lies Ashcroft told about him when he blocked White's nomination as a Federal judge in 1999. "I was very surprised to hear that he had gone to the Senate floor and called me pro-criminal with a tremendous bent toward criminal activity; that he told his colleagues that I was against prosecutors and the culture in terms of maintaining order," White said. "I deeply resent those baseless misrepresentations. In fact, -- and I want to say this as clearly as I can -- my record belies those accusations." White continued, "I believe that Senator John Ashcroft seriously distorted my record. But I believe the question before the United States Senate is whether these misrepresentations are consistent with fair play and justice that you all would require of the U.S. attorney general," White said. In response, Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) said, "What happened to you is the ugliest thing that's happened to any nominee in all my years in the United States Senate." Filibuster, here we come!

On his first day of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, John Ashcroft lied to his former colleagues about the record of Dr. David Satcher, whom Ashcroft opposed for Surgeon General. On CNN's Crossfire, Bill Press caught Ashcroft in his lie. The Senate should reject Ashcroft for lying under oath.

It’s all come to down to this for Dubya: forget that Ashcroft yearns for the blissful days of the Confederacy, that he’s a ruthless opportunist who has lied to advance his career, that he’s opposed on religious grounds to laws that he will have to enforce as Attorney General, that he was a draft dodger. All of these issues, which would disqualify most mortal men and women for the position of the head of America’s Justice Department, are irrelevant to Dubya. Why? “The senators, if they are objective," Bush says, "they'll take a look at . . . Senator Ashcroft's heart and his record and they'll confirm him." Bush says he “knows” Ashcroft’s heart and, therefore, knows he will do a good job as Attorney General. As for Gayle Norton, Bush stands by her because she also has a “heart.” Linda Chavez also was A-OK. Bush was also looking forward to casting a "light on her big heart." But last time we checked, every American had a heart. Does that make them good nominees for Cabinet positions? Just asking.

We're predicting that Ted Kennedy will filibuster Ashcroft's nomination. And we're also predicting that at least 41 Democrats will support the filibuster, thereby defeating Ashcroft. See our bold predictions!

During a dispute on Wednesday with Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ), Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) said "if you don't appreciate the way that I present it, I can accept that. But I want to make it very clear that I would restate those. And I would be glad--I won't take the chance at this time; I will on the floor of the United States Senate--to take as much time as necessary, and it may take some time to debate those particular issues." That's about as clear a signal as one can get. In an interview later in the day, Kennedy specifically said he had "not ruled out" a filibuster, which is Senate-speak for "you can take it to the bank." GO TED GO!!!!!

A detailed analysis of Ashcroft's statements on desegregation of the St. Louis schools reveals no fewer than four major outrageous lies, according to People for the American Way. Before the Senate, Ashcroft is posing as Martin Luther King Jr. in whiteface. But the true record of his role in fighting desegregation was identical to former Alabama Governor George Wallace, who declared: "segregation today . . . segregation tomorrow . . . segregation forever." This frontal assault on the truth must be punished by the Senate. We say: "filibuster today ... filibuster tomorrow ... filibuster forever!"

When a man has so much to apologize for, he shouldn't be nominated for attorney general. Heck, you wouldn't want to buy an insurance policy from this guy. And if he had any integrity, which means sticking to one's principles, why is he seeking a job that would force him to compromise almost all of his major religious/political beliefs? That's not integrity, that's raw ambition and hypocrisy.

Senator Ted Kennedy (MA), who lost his brothers John and Robert to guns, challenged Ashcroft on his advocacy of a right to bear arms to fight "a tyrannical government." Meanwhile Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA), who became Mayor of San Francisco following the gun murder of George Moscone, expressed concern that Ashcroft would "torpedo" the reauthorization of the assault weapon ban that she passed over the fierce objections of the NRA.

Bush likes to excuse all of Ashcroft's reprehensible behavior with the cliched reponses that Ashcroft "has heart" and is a man of "integrity." If you define "integrity" as lying in order to advance your own agenda, then maybe he does. But,in that case, shouldn't Bush say that he has "the integrity of a liar"? And as far as the "heart" thing, Dubya, we all have a heart. You must have missed biology class that day.

The Washington cynics predicted smooth sailing for Ashcroft's confirmation hearings. Well, the waters got awfully choppy on Day 1. Pat Leahy (VT) grilled Ashcroft about the 'Ashcroft Standard' that he used to attack Bill Lan Lee during his confirmation hearings for head of the Civil Rights division, making it clear that Ashcroft deserves a taste of his own medicine. And Ted Kennedy (MA) hammered Ashcroft for his opposition to voluntary school desegregation, leaving Ashcroft "stunned by the ferocity of the questioning." Finally, the Democrats are showing some determination - and a filibuster may be just over the horizon.

As governor, Ashcroft twice vetoed measures passed overwhelmingly by the Missouri legislature to allow volunteers to register voters within the city of St. Louis, which is about 50 percent black. Ashcroft, as Governor, appointed election commissioners who allowed 1,500 volunteers to register voters in the white Republican suburbs around St. Louis, but not in the city itself. As a result, voter registration in St. Louis city was 15% lower than St. Louis county, approximately 25,000 votes, enough to swing key elections. The state legistature tried to override the discriminatory policies of Ashcroft's appointees, but Ashcroft used his veto power to lock in discrimination. "Mr. Ashcroft's vetoes show a disturbing commitment to maintaining separate and unequal access to voter registration for African-Americans," John Hickey, executive director of the Missouri Citizen Education Fund, said.

In the second half of its analysis of Ashcroft's record, People for the American Way reviewed his sixteen years as Missouri's attorney general and governor. The report shows him to be a relentless crusader for extreme causes who used the powers of his public positions to seek to drastically cut back or eliminate reproductive rights. It shows a man who, more than a quarter of a century after Brown v. Board of Education, used the resources of his office in a divisive, single-minded fight to obstruct voluntary desegregation of the St. Louis schools. It shows a troubling insensitivity to the rights and needs of women, minorities and the poor. It shows scorn for any viewpoint he disagrees with, a preference for confrontation over compromise, and, most troubling of all, a dedication not to upholding the law and the Constitution but to bending them to conform to an extremist ideology.

Oh, how he and his kind hounded Bill Clinton for not serving in Vietnam. Now it turns out that Ashcroft joins the elite club of Cheney and Bush as Vietnam draft dodgers. These guys are so brazen in their hypocrisy and cunning, you almost admire them in the way you become fascinated with the audacity of a riverboat conman. Except these three fancy themselves as having a mandate for running America. The Democrats must expose their hypocrisy and expose it now.

According to Paul Bedard of US News & World Report, "The buzz on Attorney General-designate John Ashcroft is that the Bush team considers him the top eventual choice to replace U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Conservative Bush associates say Ashcroft is favored over residing right-leaning Justice Antonin Scalia because he may actually be easier to confirm, should Rehnquist retire. But Democrats say the Bushies are dreaming, suggesting that their bid to block Ashcroft's appointment to Justice–which sources say is at 32 Democratic senators and growing–is just 'the beginning.'"

According to Time Magazine, "Ashcroft was quietly advising allies that he had secured private promises of support from 11 Senate Democrats--which, if they held tight, would be more than enough to earn him the job." We bet this is just a bald-faced lie invented by Ashcroft to trick Democrats into not launching a filibuster. C'mon, John, name the 11 Democrats!

The National Council of Women's Organizations, which represents over 100 of the largest women's organizations, roundly criticized Ashcroft. "John Ashcroft ... stands for some of the most regressive policies on the ultraconservative agenda. He would ban contraceptive pills, deny contraceptive action to a woman who had been raped and would not allow an abortion in a case of incest," said Patricia Ireland, president of the National Organization for Women. Eleanor Smeal of the Feminist Majority and Kate Michelman of NARAL will be among those testifying against Ashcroft.

When John Ashcroft addressed an audience at Bob Jones University on May 8, 1999, the man who is now George W. Bush’s nominee to be attorney general cited – and exaggerated – a passage from the Book of John that has contributed to the persecution of Jews for the past two millennia.

It's not that Ashcroft believes in the process of "legislating morality" that is a clear and present danger to the social fabric of our country and Constitutional democracy in it. It's the substance of what he wants to criminalize and how he goes about making his choices on that substance. It's also about the substance of what Ashcroft would not criminalize, and how he goes about making those choices.

In a letter to his Senator, Comet Hale-Bopp co-discoverer Alan Hale has once again articulated what so many of us feel. "I remind you yet again of the questionable circumstances surrounding George Bush's ascension to the Presidency, and that his agenda is in no way a mandate from the American people. John Ashcroft and Gale Norton, if confirmed, could very well wreak enormous, and perhaps irreversible, damage to our society and possibly even our entire planet, and we cannot allow this to happen. These nominations must be stopped."

Let's take a dentist segregationist who threatens to kill an FBI agent. Now let's take a tough law and order politician who has vilified a judge for being "soft on crime." The tough guy politician wants to throw the book at the evil law-enforcement-hating dentist, right? Wrong, not if you're John Ashcroft. If you're Johnny "Confederate"Ashcroft, you have a soft spot for segregationists caught in murder-for-hire schemes, and you come to their defense of course.

If the Democrats follow the trail blazed by their Republican counterparts, they have only one choice: filibuster Ashcroft's nomination.

Frankly, we're ready to puke with all this talk of Ashcroft's "integrity." Even the Democrats take pains to say the man has "integrity." Well, a liar who is prone to scathingly attack minorities for personal political gain does not have integrity. Ashcroft is the man the Confederacy wing of the GOP wants installed to win what the South lost in the Civil War. But don't get mad, get even. Call your senators and tell them that you want Justice, not Ashcroft.

Democrats.com today launched a campaign to raise awareness of former Senator John Ashcroft's deceptions and slanders of his political opponents. "John Ashcroft will be defeated because of overwhelming evidence he lied to the Senate and to the American people," said Democrats.com co-founder David Lytel. Ashcroft's lies about the record of Missouri Judge Ronnie White, about his knowledge of the racist policies of Bob Jones University and about his own misuse of public funds to support his own personal political campaigns may be found at (where else but) http://democrats.com/ashcroftlied

In an unprecedented move, the non-partisan National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers announced its opposition to Ashcroft. NACDL cited Ashcroft's extremist positions on the death penalty, due process, race, and his "ambushing" of Judge Ronnie White.

Senator Barbara Boxer has announced her opposition to Ashcroft, and other Democratic Senators are hinting they will join her. But Trent Lott says all 50 Republicans will support him, so only one Democratic vote - most likely Robert Torricelli (NJ), who appears to have made a deal with the Republicans - will make Ashcroft the nation's most powerful lawyer. We therefore need a FILIBUSTER from 40 Democratic Senators who are willing to stand up for the voters who elected them. Remember, Ashcroft himself led filibusters against nominees he didn't like, including Surgeon General nominees David Satcher and Henry Foster. Ashcroft deserves a very strong taste of his own medicine. Call your Senators and demand a filibuster!

John Ashcroft believes that the media should become the messenger for Christ's teachings. This guy is so scary that you start to think maybe everyone's exaggerating a little bit. Not so, he's as frightening as his statements reveal him to be. The man is what he says he is, and that's horrifying. Watch for a complete snow job at the confirmation hearings.

It's a little comforting to see Ted Kennedy has said that he is leaning against the Ashcroft nomination. And Chuck Schumer has backed off a bit from his "let's be fair" posture, meaning he's under a lot of pressure to vote "no." Here's what you can do: Call your Senator NOW! Whether Democrat or Republican, give your two Senators a piece of your mind. Even Republican Senators will get the message. With enough heat, they will let the Bushies know that it is time to cut the cord on "the Plantation Owner/Confederacy Lover Who Would be Attorney General."

Americans haven't even met Ashcroft yet (hearings start Tuesday), but already they oppose him! A Newsweek poll shows Americans want the Senate to reject Ashcroft by a 41%-37% margin. When Ashcroft's negatives hit 50%, Bush will push him off the plank - right into the waiting arms of Linda Chavez. Get your bathing suit, John!

According to Stuart Taylor, Ashcroft is "unfit to be Attorney General. The reason is that during an important debate on a sensitive matter, then-Sen. Ashcroft abused the power of his office by descending to demagoguery, dishonesty, and character assassination." When Taylor speaks, the Washington establishment listens. Do we hear the sound of a nail entering the coffin?

Ashcroft claimed Judge Ronnie White was 'soft on crime,' but when pro-gun extremist Larry Pratt asked Ashcroft to help gut an anti-gang bill in 1998, Ashcroft was delighted to help his friend. Scroll towards the bottom to see the handwritten thank-you letter from Ashcroft to Pratt, head of Gun Owners of America. According to Time Magazine, Ashcroft sought support from Pratt's New Hampshire operatives during his Presidential campaign.

Some men, like John Ashcroft, just get wistful thinking about the good 'ol days of the Confederacy. His favorite pro-Confederacy magazine, the Souther Partisan, thinks that slavery has gotten a bad rap. Of course, Ashcroft thinks that the Confederacy and its leaders have been defamed by "historical revisionists." We have entered the Orwellian world. Won't the Democrats in the Senate stand up and reject a man who mourns the loss of the ante-bellum slave owning days?

On numerous occasions, John Ashcroft used his power as a Senator to block nominations he opposed. Here's his own e-mail from 1995 defending his support for a filibuster of Dr. Henry Foster for Surgeon General.

"Nowhere is it contemplated under law or civic tradition that an attorney general would try to remake law through selective enforcement or deprive citizens of constitutional rights by pursuing cases designed to invite the federal courts to obliterate those rights." So sayeth the New York Times.

Last year, John Ashcroft led a successful campaign to deny Missouri Justice Ronnie White a Federal judgeship. Ashcroft lied about White's record, calling his rulings "pro-criminal." White has never addressed these lies in public - but now he will have the eyes of the nation upon him when he gets his chance to speak at Ashcroft's nomination hearings. If you thought Anita Hill's testimony was dramatic, stay tuned!!

John Ashcroft is bad on just about everything, including guns. He was the NRA's pinup boy in the last election, even though he lost to a dead man. But when a guy accepts more than $400,000 from the gun lobby, you know that he's signed, sealed and delivered.

The Human Rights Campaign and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force joined the battle against Ashcroft's nomination. Ashcroft opposed extending hate crime legislation to cover gays, and blocked the nomination of James Hormel as ambassador to Luxembourg because he was gay.

In 1998, Ashcroft and two other senators sponsored a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would ban nearly all abortions, including cases of rape, incest and serious injury to the mother. That same year, Ashcroft signed a letter with seven other senators objecting to coverage of birth control by federal health care plans because contraceptives such as birth control pills and intrauterine devices are "de facto abortifacients" -- meaning they end viable pregnancies, rather than prevent them.

You would think a conservative governor from Montana would have the bona fides to pass the right wing's litmus test. Not so, that's why the hard-to-the-right Bush colleague, the Governor of Montana, was nixed for the AG's spot and replaced with John Ashcroft. The Washington Post reports that the Jerry Falwells of the world told the Bush camp to nominate Ashcroft or else, and being the jellyfish that he is, Bush listened to their words of wisdom.

"More than any other venue, Ashcroft used the forum of Senate confirmation hearings to act out his political dark side, savaging presidential nominees for sport and political gain. In one high-profile case after another, Ashcroft stood out among his peers as a conservative attack dog, never afraid to besmirch a career or reputation. As senator, Ashcroft zealously assailed nominees who didn't share his extreme-right-wing views on abortion, affirmative action, the death penalty and the like. And he always showed a special place in his heartlessness for African-American selections." So says Ray Hartmann of the Missouri River Front Times.

Since the Democratic Congressional leadership is not known for having a strong backbone, Jesse Jackson is going to lead a campaign to ask Democratic Senators to declare their opposition to Ashcroft's nomination. Ashcroft's spin control people are now making noises about what a strong supporter of civil rights he is. Don't these right wingers have a shred of honesty? Just a shred would be nice.

Shouldn't the Attorney General of the United States be a person of honor. If that is a singular qualification, then the nomination of John Ashcroft should be summarily rejected. He viciously slandered a judge for his own political gain. Of course, for George W., that is a sign of "integrity."