Word: ashcroft
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...fireworks and Ricky Martin are all being readied for the gala celebrations, and you have only yourself to blame if all people remember from this historic week is the historically ugly struggle you ignited in the halls of the U.S. Senate. George W. Bush says he picked John Ashcroft, his nominee to become Attorney General, because Ashcroft is "a good man...a good attorney." Both in public and in private the Bush team is confident he will be confirmed. But the team can only begin to calculate the cost. Ashcroft's nomination has become the latest battle in America...
...elect, who told TIME several weeks ago that the greatest misconception about him is that he is racially insensitive, is now defending a key nominee in a fight so fierce it may once again be hard to tell the difference between winning and losing. There are Democrats publicly denouncing Ashcroft and privately praying he survives, so they can raise money and inflame partisans for years to come. There are Republicans publicly pledging their support and privately wondering why Bush chose a man who all but guaranteed that the era of good feeling would be over before his presidency even begins...
...given both men's reputations as pro-life activists, haven't the attentions of the pro-choice groups been more equitably focused between the two candidates? It may be, suggests Emory University legal historian David J. Garrow, that Ashcroft represents a threat - real or perceived - that Thompson simply cannot match. "In terms of forming an effective alliance, all the liberal interest groups have a stake in the leadership at the Department of Justice, whereas it's much harder to get everyone organized around and excited about Health and Human Services...
...Ashcroft's past as a major force in pro-life litigation has also raised red flags among pro-choicers, says Garrow, while Thompson's reproductive rights history is a bit more ambivalent. "Missouri has been one of the most energetic right-to-life action centers - which makes Ashcroft a very familiar target," Garrow explains. Meanwhile, Thompson has come under heavy fire from pro-life groups (and earned the support of many research scientists) for his support of embryonic stem cell research...
...there's another, more practical impetus to form a coalition opposing Ashcroft, says Garrow. "Groups like NARAL that receive a large amount of funding from direct-mail campaigns need to fly their battle flags over these confirmation hearings in a highly visible way. So a lot of what we're seeing in terms of protest is driven by the budgetary needs of these organizations." In fact, says Garrow, these interest groups may be missing the point altogether. "People should be asking who the Bush Cabinet appointees are planning to name as under secretaries, for health, or evaluation, or population." That...