Three Way News: John Ashcroft

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

John Ashcroft

Ashcroft resigns
My view from the left	A view from the center	A view from the right
Calico-cat fearing, marble-breast hating, Crisco-oil annointing Attorney General John Ashcroft resigned today. Under his watch, the FBI suffered a string of high-profile failures that should have forced his ouster much earlier: The FBI spent 13 months investigating prostitution in New Orleans. They made 12 arrests. The FBI failed to distribute the Phoenix memo or to properly investigate Zacharias Moussaoui prior to the tragedy of September 11. The FBI has yet to arrest anyone in connection with sending anthrax to the U.S. Senate, an act which claimed several lives. Ashcroft testified before the Senate that those who criticized the Patriot Act: [A]id terrorists, for they erode our national unity and resolve. They give ammunition to America's enemies, and pause to America's friends." In response to the Madrid bombings in March, the FBI wrongly arrested an attorney in Oregon. The FBI later dropped the charges. Federal prosecutors under Ashcroft's purview engaged in misconduct in the prosecution of two men in Detroit. As a result of the misconduct, the charges were dropped. In Idaho, Sami Omar Al-Hussayen was acquitted on charges of helping terrorists. Aschroft asserted that the Controlled Substances Act preempted an Oregon law allowing doctors to help terminally ill patients commit suicide. A federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld the state law. The majority opinion criticized Ashcroft for his "unilateral attempt to regulate general medical practices historically entrusted to state lawmakers." Ascroft indicted members of Greenpeace for violating an 1872 law against boarding ships.	(CNN) -- In the first signs of a second-term shakeup for the Bush administration, Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans have resigned, the White House announced Tuesday evening. ... Ashcroft, a former senator and two-term governor of Missouri, has garnered criticism during his nearly four years as attorney general on issues like the Patriot Act, which backers say helps the government in its fight against terrorism and critics say infringes on civil liberties. In July, Ashcroft released a progress report and said the Patriot Act "saves lives" and was "al Qaeda's worst nightmare." Portions of the law are set to expire in December 2005. His confirmation hearing in January 2000 was filled with sharply divided debate. Ashcroft's critics highlighted his longstanding conservative political and religious views -- especially his anti-abortion stance. Yet those views have also made him a favorite of many on the right, especially religious conservatives. ... "During his four years at the Department of Justice, John has transformed the department to make combating terrorism the top priority, including making sure our law enforcement officials have the tools they need to disrupt and prevent attacks," Bush said.	"The abuse Ashcroft took from Kennedy and Leahy is unforgivable. The man deserves our respect and honor for the job he did for us. His skewering of Jamie Gorelick was priceless" "Why not bring back Ed Meese? He's still very sharp and spry and the howls of agony from the democrats would be priceless!" "Ashcroft's mandate was clear, and he carried it out more successfully than, at that time, I would have considered possible. It hasn't happened again. For that, John Ashcroft deserves a big share of the credit. He has our respect and our thanks for a job superbly well done." Power Line

Ashcroft resigns

My view from the left

A view from the center

A view from the right

Calico-cat fearing, marble-breast hating, Crisco-oil annointing Attorney General John Ashcroft resigned today. Under his watch, the FBI suffered a string of high-profile failures that should have forced his ouster much earlier:

The FBI spent 13 months investigating prostitution in New Orleans. They made 12 arrests.

The FBI failed to distribute the Phoenix memo or to properly investigate Zacharias Moussaoui prior to the tragedy of September 11.

The FBI has yet to arrest anyone in connection with sending anthrax to the U.S. Senate, an act which claimed several lives.

Ashcroft testified before the Senate that those who criticized the Patriot Act: [A]id terrorists, for they erode our national unity and resolve. They give ammunition to America's enemies, and pause to America's friends."

In response to the Madrid bombings in March, the FBI wrongly arrested an attorney in Oregon. The FBI later dropped the charges.

Federal prosecutors under Ashcroft's purview engaged in misconduct in the prosecution of two men in Detroit. As a result of the misconduct, the charges were dropped.

In Idaho, Sami Omar Al-Hussayen was acquitted on charges of helping terrorists.

Aschroft asserted that the Controlled Substances Act preempted an Oregon law allowing doctors to help terminally ill patients commit suicide. A federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld the state law. The majority opinion criticized Ashcroft for his "unilateral attempt to regulate general medical practices historically entrusted to state lawmakers."

Ascroft indicted members of Greenpeace for violating an 1872 law against boarding ships.

(CNN) -- In the first signs of a second-term shakeup for the Bush administration, Attorney General John Ashcroft and Commerce Secretary Don Evans have resigned, the White House announced Tuesday evening. ... Ashcroft, a former senator and two-term governor of Missouri, has garnered criticism during his nearly four years as attorney general on issues like the Patriot Act, which backers say helps the government in its fight against terrorism and critics say infringes on civil liberties.
In July, Ashcroft released a progress report and said the Patriot Act "saves lives" and was "al Qaeda's worst nightmare." Portions of the law are set to expire in December 2005.
His confirmation hearing in January 2000 was filled with sharply divided debate. Ashcroft's critics highlighted his longstanding conservative political and religious views -- especially his anti-abortion stance.
Yet those views have also made him a favorite of many on the right, especially religious conservatives.
...
"During his four years at the Department of Justice, John has transformed the department to make combating terrorism the top priority, including making sure our law enforcement officials have the tools they need to disrupt and prevent attacks," Bush said.

"The abuse Ashcroft took from Kennedy and Leahy is unforgivable. The man deserves our respect and honor for the job he did for us. His skewering of Jamie Gorelick was priceless"

"Why not bring back Ed Meese? He's still very sharp and spry and the howls of agony from the democrats would be priceless!"

"Ashcroft's mandate was clear, and he carried it out more successfully than, at that time, I would have considered possible. It hasn't happened again. For that, John Ashcroft deserves a big share of the credit. He has our respect and our thanks for a job superbly well done." Power Line

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Tuesday, November 09, 2004

John Ashcroft

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