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john ashcroft
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John Ashcroft In 1942, on May 9, a young man was brought into this world unknowing of what his future held in store for him (USDOJ 1). He was born in Chicago, Illinois and moved to Springfield, Missouri for his upbringing (1). He attended public schools K-12 and later started his college career at Yale University where he succeeded with honors in the year of 1964 (1). After he received his degree he continued to pursue his education at the University of Chicago (1). He completed his Justice Department degree in1967 (1). He started his political career in 1973 as a Missouri Auditor and was then promoted to Attorney General of Missouri by the people for two consecutive terms (1). In his early stages of politics, he was known for his unbiased opinions and the ability to work with both parties to solve tribulations (1). In 1984, he was elected governor of Missouri and held this rank until 1993 (1). While in office he was Chairman of the Education commission and was able to balance eight of the budgets. Following his term of governor he was then elected into the Senate in 1994. This individual noted above is known as John Ashcroft. He is the Attorney General of the United States and was appointed this position by the President of the United States, George W. Bush. He was faced with a substantial amount of questions concerning his past by the senate before he was confirmed. Thus far some would say John Ashcroft has done an outstanding job as the Attorney General and others might disagree. During John Ashcroft’s confirmation the Democrats continued to argue that John Ashcroft would not be a suitable Attorney General because of his thoughts on abortion, and civil rights (ABCNEWS 1). On Inside politics, leading Democrat Senator Patrick Leahy stated, “I wish the president had sent us a nomination for attorney general that would unite us rather than divide us, but that did not happen.” The Republicans had a different perspective on John Ashcroft. On ABC News, Senator Orrin Hatch stated, “I would personally resent any votes against him. I really think that it is ridiculous, and I think we’ve gone way too far in this country just because you differ with somebody on abortion… or because you find some fault one side or the other and try to make a racial issue out of something that is not and I get a little sick and tired of that.” Although Patrick Leahy and some other Democrats did not approve of John Ashcroft he was confirmed as the Attorney General. The Attorney General of the United States, like all the Presidents cabinet members has great deal of responsibility. One of his responsibilities is to defend the freedoms and laws that are subject to the American people. These laws were introduced by our founding fathers when they created the constitution. John Ashcroft is responsible for making sure these laws are implemented as they were intended to be. In his first year of office there have been some stipulations that he is ignoring the constitution and making up his own rules as he goes. For example in the People For The American Way, “The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were a watershed for the nation in many ways and for John Ashcroft as well. Ashcroft’s response to those attacks has been marked by troubling willingness to amend our laws and Constitution by executive fiat and by consistent disrespect for the role of the Congress and the courts in reviewing executive branch actions. He proposed legislation to grant extraordinary new powers to federal agencies and attempted to stifle congressional consideration of its impact. He then initiated or supported executive branch orders, without consulting Congress, that expanded executive branch powers even beyond those granted in the sweeping anti-terrorism legislation” (PFAW1). Another stipulation stated by the People For The American Way, “With the powers he was granted, and those he has asserted, Ashcroft has overseen, for example, the detention of more than 1,200 individuals, many for extended periods of time, while stubbornly resisting the release of significant information about the detainees to the public or the Congress.
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