Word: ashcroft
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Will John Ashcroft be confirmed as U.S. attorney general...
...over the next week or so, before the Senate Judiciary Committee actually votes on the nomination, Ashcroft's Democratic opponents hope to riddle the candidate with as many ideological bullets as possible, and perhaps convince their peers to back an Edward Kennedy-sponsored filibuster. Sure, a filibuster probably wouldn't work - and is frowned upon anyway by minority leader Tom Daschle - but any delay at all provides Ashcroft's adversaries with time to build up their arsenal, which, while probably incapable of bringing down Ashcroft's nomination, could serve another, longer-term purpose: By lodging deeply in vulnerable congressional Republicans...
...latest accusations against Ashcroft are hurtful, according to congressional observers, but hardly career-ending. According to Paul Offner, who applied to a Missouri Cabinet post back in 1985, then-governor Ashcroft began their interview by asking him if he was gay. Offner, who, by the way, is now married, he was "stunned" by the question...
...Anxious as they may be to read Ashcroft's musings on everything from farfalle to Fendi, Democrats on the Judiciary Committee aren't just holding out for Ashcroft's written responses; they're also waiting to see FBI financial reports, several speeches, and the complete videotape of Ashcroft's 1999 commencement address at Bob Jones University. Ashcroft's affiliation with the controversial school has raised eyebrows among his detractors, who point to college founder Bob Jones' racist and anti-Catholic convictions - and wonder aloud just how far they actually are from Ashcroft...
...When Ashcroft comes back with his detailed responses, which Hatch is reportedly squeezing out of the nominee at breakneck speed, the committee will meet again to vote on the confirmation itself, and the debate will likely move to the Senate floor. And, if Kennedy and like-minded Democrats have anything to say about it, that could be only the first of many hurdles in the Ashcroft saga...