I just got done with a radio interview (the Bob Grant show in NY City) in which I debated the merits of the Ashcroft nomination with another guest. Apparently the Republican line on the would-be-AG is that he’s a man of integrity, spotless record, no one questions his honor, and so forth.
Do we really know that John Ashcroft is a man of integrity?
Who knows? In absence of evidence to the contrary (and I don’t know of any) I’m happy to believe that he’s personally honest and all that.
(I leave to another post the question of whether mercilessly slandering and defaming another honorable man of integrity, i.e., Ronnie White, diminishes one’s own integrity.)
But I’m happy to believe that John Ashcroft is a man of integrity.
But who cares?
That’s much better than not being a man of integrity. But it’s not a sufficient qualification for the job.
And who agrees with me? Well, who else? John Ashcroft.
Ashcroft has been a key figure in torpedoing numerous Clinton-appointees to the Justice Department and he’s often said his opposition had nothing to do with their character or integrity. No one ever said Bill Lan Lee lacked integrity; Republicans just said he had the wrong position on affirmative action.
Or listen to this from Mike Grunwald’s recent article in the Washington Post:
[Ashcroft] personally held up the nomination of California attorney Margaret Morrow, who had broad bipartisan support, and voted against her purely on philosophical grounds — even though he praised her integrity and intellect.
Maybe GOPers can defend Ashcroft on other grounds. But this one doesn’t even pass the laugh test.
