The Link to the story here

No woman should fear being threatened or coerced in seeking constitutionally protected health services

Tuesday January 16 2:57 PM ET Ashcroft Promises To Enforce Law

By LARRY MARGASAK, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Attorney General-designate John Ashcroft, answering critics of his anti-abortion and civil rights views, pledged Wednesday to enforce the nation's laws despite his ``personal preferences.''

While Ashcroft said in a prepared opening statement at his confirmation that he believes Roe v. Wade was ``wrongly decided,'' he accepts it ``as the settled law of the land. The Supreme Court's decisions on this have been multiple, recent and emphatic.''

He insisted that, if confirmed, he would be ``advancing the national interest, not advocating my personal interest,'' adding that he would enforce federal laws protecting women's access to abortion clinincs.

``No woman should fear being threatened or coerced in seeking constitutionally protected health services,'' he said.

Not since the Clarence Thomas hearings a decade ago has the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings amid such an onslaught of criticism against a nominee from civil rights and women's groups.

``From racial profiling to news of unwarranted strip searches, the list of injustice in America today is still long. Injustice in America against any individual must not stand,'' Ashcroft said.

The nominee, a Republican former senator from Missouri, commented on several specific issues in his opening statement and then told senators they could ``pummel me with questions.''

Ashcroft, a gun-control opponent who has been opposed by liberal women's groups, said that as a senator he voted to ``deny the right to bear arms to those convicted of domestic violence offenses. ''

He said he supported mandatory background checks for guns show sales and increased federal funds for law enforcement.

Ashcroft testified that his opposition to Missouri Supreme Court Justice Ronnie White, whose confirmation to be a federal judge was rejected, was ``well founded.'' Critics charged that Ashcroft's opposition to White, who is black, was based on race.

``Studying his judicial record, considering the implications of his decisions and hearing the widespread objections to his appointment from a large body of my constituents, I simply came to the overwhelming conclusion that Judge White should not be given lifetime tenure as a U.S. District Court judge,'' Ashcroft said.

Ashcroft declared: ``I understand that being attorney general means enforcing the laws as they are written, not enforcing my own personal preferences.''

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Judiciary Committee until President-elect Bush is sworn in on Saturday, said the hearing ``is not about whether Senator Ashcroft is a racist, anti-Catholic, anti-Mormon or anti-anything else. Those of us who worked with him in the Senate do not make that charge.''

But Leahy also said that Ashcroft, in some confirmation battles, ``was not just in the minority of the United States Senate, but in a minority among Republicans in the Senate. Now we have to ask if somebody who has been that unyielding in a policy outlook can unite all Americans.''

He said senators must ask ``what positions he would urge upon the Supreme Court; in particular, whether he'd ask the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade or to impose more burdensome restrictions on a woman's ability to secure safe and legal contraceptives.''

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, who will be chairman after Saturday, strongly defended his former Senate colleague, saying he felt ``a great sense of comfort'' in the nomination.

``Those charged with enforcing the law of the nation must demonstrate both the proper understanding of that law and a determination to uphold its letter and spirit,'' Hatch said. ``This is the standard I have applied to nominees in the past, and this is the standard that I am applying to John Ashcroft here.''

Senate GOP Leader Trent Lott said last week he expects all 50 Republicans in the Senate will vote for Ashcroft's confirmation. Most Democratic senators have refrained from saying how they will vote.

Bush has said Ashcroft's hearing doesn't have to be ugly ``if the senators will tone down their rhetoric.'' Other supporters joined Bush in insisting that Ashcroft would enforce the law regardless of his personal views.

Led by abortion rights advocates, women's groups said Tuesday they would work together to defeat the nominations of Ashcroft and of Tommy Thompson to be secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services because both men oppose abortion rights.

Ashcroft's hearing kicks off a busy week of Senate confirmation hearings for a number of Cabinet nominees, including Gale Norton, a former Colorado attorney general Bush has chosen to be interior secretary. She is opposed by environmentalists. Another controversial nominee, Linda Chavez, withdrew as Bush's labor secretary nominee last week.

Ashcroft was defeated for re-election in November by the late Gov. Mel Carnahan, who won despite his death in a plane crash. His widow, Jean, was named to fill the seat and agreed to introduce Ashcroft at the opening of his confirmation hearings, which are expected to continue through Friday.

Meanwhile, Ashcroft's wife, Janet Ashcroft, said Tuesday on ABC's ``Good Morning America'' that she was attacked by a rapist several years ago ``and John's response to me was absolutely perfect, which amazed me. ... His response to my situation was exactly the way any woman would want him to respond.''

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), January 16, 2001

Answers

"John's response to me was absolutely perfect, which amazed me. ... "

Weird. Why was Ashcroft's wife "amazed" by her husband's response?

Perhaps because she expected him to moralize and "blame the victim." Perhaps because she was afraid if she became pregnant from the rapist, her husband would force her to have the baby. Perhaps because she knows her husband is a lying bigot and screaming misogynist who will do everything in his power to plunge women back into the 19th century even if they're raped.

Perhaps that's why she was "amazed."

-- Ashcroft a Bigoted Misogynist (welcome@your.new.bigot), January 16, 2001.

Gimme a break here..Clinton is the definition of the word Misogynist . He put the word on the map...you are one sick, deluded puppy.

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), January 16, 2001.

I'm more curious about why she brought it up in the first place. Did she get pregnant from the attack? If not, what on earth does her assault have to do with his nomination?

-- Tarzan the Ape Man (tarzan@swingingthroughthejungle withouta.net), January 16, 2001.

The abortion thing is a joke. 90+ of abortions have nothing to do with rape, or a life-threatening condition of the mother. They are all a variation of "I'm not in the mood to be a mother".

-- John Littmann (littmannj@aol.com), January 16, 2001.

You're such an jerk, Bob. How in the world is having sex with women a definition of "misogynist"? Just because Bill likes sex, and just because you don't get any, doesn't mean you have to hate him.

Don't worry, though. Cin says you're "not alone."

-- Unc's Frustration (no@sex.com), January 16, 2001.

How in the world is having sex with women a definition of "misogynist"? It's not, numb-nuts...Clinton treated women like sex toys. He used his position and influence to gain access to them, he used them like meat and tossed them away with total disregard for the emotional impact it would have on them for the rest of their lives. Sorry to piss all over your role model, but Clinton is in desperate need of therapy.

Regarding cin...she is a good person who doesn't believe in premarital sex. If you had the balls to make that statement to my face I'd knock the shit out of you.

-- Uncle Bob (unclb0b@aol.com), January 16, 2001.

Regarding cin...she is a good person who doesn't believe in premarital sex. If you had the balls to make that statement to my face I'd knock the shit out of you.

Cin has TWO children and has never been married. I don't hold this against her, but stick to the facts.

-- Just Asking (areyounuts@Ithinkso.com), January 17, 2001.

Bob, that was just so sweet. Thank you

Actually, I do believe sex should be between two married people. I realize it's difficult, but it's also doable. Yes I had my wild days, as I'm sure we all have, but I'm moving forward, as should you. This has nothing to do with how my beautiful children were conceived, so don't bother going down that road.

-- (cin@cin.cin), January 17, 2001.

Tarzan:

Gaining sympathy/empathy from the public using personal tragedies is is a much-used political tool. It even works when they're not really trying to use it - witness the Senate race (or was it a Governership?) where the candidate died, but his wife was elected.

Ashcroft does seem to be "reaching across the divide" in this article, though. Don't know enough about the guy's history to know if he's believable. He'll get nominated - I just don't see the dems bringing the big guns into that battle.

-- Bemused (and_amazed@you.people), January 17, 2001.

Oh those poor, poor women! Those poor, poor victims who had sex with Clinton and then made hundreds of thousands of dollars prosecuting him with lawyers and selling their bodies and images to the media for more and more money.

Oh, those poor female victims who had sex with Clinton!

-- Monica on Television (etc.@$$.com), January 17, 2001.

"If you had the balls to make that statement to my face I'd knock the shit out of you."

You're the one who broadcasted the details of your sex life to the forum, Bob.

-- Who Needs Therapy? (you@told.us), January 17, 2001.

I agree on this one. Monica is hardly a victim, in fact, she herself has fought against that description long and hard.

-- Tarzan the Ape Man (tarzan@swingingthroughthejunglewithouta.net), January 17, 2001.