Ashcroft Likely to Resign - Seriously!

[LavenderLounge]

Ashcroft likely to leave post - from SFGate.com

CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press Writer

Thursday, November 4, 2004

(11-04) 11:05 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

Attorney General John Ashcroft is likely to leave his post before the start of President Bush's second term, senior aides said Thursday.

Ashcroft, 62, is described as exhausted from leading the Justice Department in fighting the domestic war on terrorism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Stress was a factor in Ashcroft's health problems earlier this year that resulted in removal of his gall bladder.

Ashcroft is expected to resign before Bush's Jan. 20 inauguration, said aides who spoke only on condition of anonymity. They said there is a small chance he would stay on, at least for a short time, if Bush asked him.

The attorney general has not officially informed his staff of his future plans, spokesman Mark Corallo said.

At a news conference, Bush said he hasn't made any decisions about his Cabinet.

Ashcroft, a former two-term governor and senator from Missouri, has long been a favorite among Bush's base of religious conservatives. He also is a lightning rod for Democrats and other critics on issues ranging from the anti-terrorism Patriot Act, which expanded rules for eavesdropping, to abortion rights and gun control.

Names that have been floated in recent weeks as a possible replacement include Ashcroft's former deputy, Larry Thompson, who would become the first black attorney general. Others include Marc Racicot, who was Bush's campaign manager, and White House general counsel Alberto Gonzales, who would give Bush a notable Hispanic appointment.

Also sometimes mentioned is former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, but his spokeswoman said he's not interested. "Rudy Giuliani is not taking John Ashcroft's job," Sunny Mindel said.

Mindel said Giuliani is committed to the success of his business and government consulting firm.

Giuliani, a former prosecutor, is considered a possible presidential contender in 2008. Those political aspirations could be hampered by the controversies inherent in the top Justice Department job.

[JustBryce]

That would definitly help me on the road to recovery from Tuesday.

[BDBionic]

That's actually been the expectation all along.

When Ashcroft was first chosen as AG, it was pretty much believed he'd been chosen to appease and please the furthest right elements of the party. And that once a reelection came about and those party elements no longer needed to be placated, he'd be on the out.

He was intended as a one-termer from the outset to solidify party support.

The question is whether or not a "moral mandate" having come from the electorate on Tues. will mean someone with the same agenda as Ashcroft takes his place.

[procam]

May the old goat RIP.
I surely need to see ashcroft GTFO of office the sooner the better - and the choices wow - a black man or a hispanic - well hmmm
I really could give a flip less of course it could mean a catholic or another angelical christian as AG ... But ..
It surely has to get better than Ashcroft!
Musta been that final run up the hill with the 2257 crap that did him in !!
Thank the godess :angel:

I dont wish Illness on anyone but hes put a serious hurt on my business and hes done serious damage to things in this country:wacko: Hes right up there with G>W>BUSH!

Heres to ya ashcroft and bushie may the fleas of bin ladens camel infest in your armpits -- have a restful retirement I wont miss ya!!!

[JoeG]

Now we can make way for the real evangelical christian zealots and don't forget the Christian Reconstructionist movement that will soon ravage our government like a cancer.

[RainGurl]

that's what worries me... that we'll get someone worse than ashcroft now that bush doesn't have to worry about appeasing anyone. he got the job... again. no more elections, so he can do whatever he wants.

[desslock]

You know, I have never liked Ashcroft either. But if Ashcroft leaves that means that he enacted exactly zero 2257 prosecutions. That being said, why exactly is he invoked as the absolute devil?

Yeah, he and I have different religious beliefs, and probably very different opinons on social issues. But if at the end of the day he has not enacted any zealous high-profile prosecutions, what exactly was he judged as the ultimate satan for? Because he was religious? Just a question. (i'm not religious at all btw)

And now, how is this different from going around and crying "wolf" ? I have a distrust of Jimmy Swaggert televangelists going around and scaring people to death in order to give them money. How is this different?

Steve

[Matt 26z]

Desslock, I agree with you. But I don't think we'll ever see 2257 prosecutions outside of genuine CP cases.

I think the fact that we still haven't seen a single internet obscenity case on the federal level was one reason to feel comfortable with Ashcroft. There's no telling what kind of rampage the next guy may go on.

[BDBionic]

I think it's a bit much to assume the only reason people here might dislike Ashcroft is on account of 2257.

Wanna know why I dislike him? He's enforcing the law with politics in mind, not justice. Is he religious? Yes. Is that a problem in and of itself? No. Is it a problem, however, when the Justice Department's actions and policy are dictated by religious ideology? Yes.

Why don't we hear about it when right wing extremist terrorist plots are busted and exposed? Why have we abandoned due process and held individuals captive without trial or even charge indefinitely and without access to legal representation or rights? Why is the Justice Department so preoccupied with environmental extremists in this day and age disproportionate to any threat they may pose? Where was competent justice and prosecution in the case of the supposed Michigan Islamic terrorist cell?

Why should the government subpoena drivers license and voter registration lists to check for ties to terrorists but not gun purchaser lists? He can gather hospital records of women who've had late term abortions but not people who buy automatic weapons in an era of indefinite high terror alerts?

He launched a war on civil liberties in the name of protecting us from terrorism then unleashed Patriot Act provisions upon the public in prosecutions that had absolutely nothing to do with terrorism.

2257 had and still has the potential to just be one example among many of the man's conservative moral agenda imposing itself upon the American public and our legal system.

[Chris Alan]

I must say I will be happy to see Ashcroft go.

CA

[desslock]

Agreed!

Looking over this and other recent threads I have arrived at the conclusion that I really need to get laid this weekend.

off to San Antrashio!

Steve

[BDBionic]

LOL

[CJ-KJCash]

That would be a good start, now if he can just get his boss to do the same.

I dont consider Ashcroft to be Satan, that is his boss. He is just one of Satan's minions.