-Caveat Lector-
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 — An ordained Episcopal priest, former Sen. John C.
Danforth is often tagged by friends and foes alike as “St. Jack,” a nickname
he eschews but that sums up both his reputation for integrity — and stubborn
independence.
ALLIES CALL the Missouri Republican the perfect choice to head an
independent inquiry into the fiery end — and a fatal for 80 people — to the
FBI’s 51-day siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, in 1993.
“Jack Danforth’s entire public life was a testament to integrity in
government,” said Walter McCormick, a longtime Senate Commerce Committee
aide to the senator. “He will get to the bottom of it, and there will be no
hide-the-ball.”
Danforth’s challenge: Making Waco inquiry truly independent and effective
The wife of another erstwhile adviser, Supreme Court Justice Clarence
Thomas, viewed Danforth’s moral integrity as a beacon that guided her
husband’s stormy confirmation hearings in October 1991.
Accused of sexual harassment by a former colleague, Anita Hill, the
conservative black jurist ultimately survived the controversy to replace
retiring Justice Thurgood Marshall, a liberal champion of civil rights and
the first black member of the high court.
‘INTERESTING HAPPENSTANCE’
By then, Danforth had also emerged as a civil rights leader and was
preparing to battle the Bush White House to pass the 1991 Civil Rights Act
aimed at protecting the jobs of women and minorities. At the time, the lanky
Missourian characterized the paradox as “an interesting happenstance.”
The beginning:The compound:The standoff begins:The standoff ends:Conflicting
versions:Current controversy:
David Koresh began recruiting followers for the Branch Davidian sect in the
mid-70s. The Branch Davidians are an obscure splinter group of the
Seventh-Day Adventist Church that interpreted the Bible literally. In 1987,
Koresh took control of the sect's compound near Waco after a long struggle
with another leader that ended in a gun battle. Koresh and seven of his
followers managed to drive off the rival. A jury acquitted all the followers
of attempted murder, and Koresh's trial ended in a hung jury. Koresh
aggressively recruited followers, calling himself "The Messiah."
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Source: Associated Press, MSNBC research
“I think they’re lucky they’ve found a man who can restore trust when
an institution’s credibility is in question,” Ginni Thomas, the justice’s
wife, said in an interview with The Associated Press. “He’s a man who very
easily and naturally combines the principles of his religious faith with
public service.”
She recalled how, during the 10 days of hearings, the Thomases and
Danforths prayed in the Senate Russell Office Building’s bathroom moments
before Thomas made his first statement at his confirmation hearing..
BORN TO WEALTH
A grandson of the founder of the Ralston Purina animal food empire,
Danforth, 63, was born to wealth. He was active in his family’s
philanthropies and while in Washington ministered to elderly shut-ins and
conducted Tuesday morning services at St. Alban’s Church.
A graduate of Yale Seminary and Yale Law School, he was elected to
the Senate in 1976 after holding the Missouri attorney general’s job for
eight years. In Missouri, he is viewed as the progenitor of the modern
Republicanism, with two of his proteges, Christopher Bond and John Ashcroft,
now holding the state’s two seats in the Senate.
“He has a capacity to be a bulldog,” said Ashcroft, who won the race
to replace the retiring Danforth in 1994. “He’s a man without prejudice.”
In Congress, Danforth was sometimes called “St. Jack,” both by
admirers of his virtue and nonconformity and by critics who saw him as
self-righteous.
FISCAL CONSERVATIVE
Danforth is a fiscal conservative but is progressive on social
issues, with the exception of staunch anti-abortion views. He has opposed th
e death penalty, fought prayer in public schools, school prayer, argued
against efforts to criminalize flag burning and defended the National
Endowment for the Arts.
In recent months, Danforth has served as chairman of a civic group
working to revitalize St. Louis with projects ranging from beautification to
stopping racism.
“He calls them like he sees them,” former Sen. Thomas Eagleton, a
Missouri Democrat who served 10 years with Danforth, told the AP. “Members
of the Senate or House will have full faith in his finding.”
John Danforth: Vital statistics
• Name: John Claggett Danforth
• Age, birth date: 63, Sept. 5, 1936
• Hometown: St. Louis
• Education: Graduated Princeton University in 1963, received degrees from
Yale Divinity School and Yale Law School
• Political party: Republican
• Experience: Private law practice, 1963-69; attorney general of Missouri,
1969-76; U.S. senator from Missouri, 1976-1995.
• Quote: "I would rather start a new phase in my life when I am 58 than when
I am 64," Danforth said in announcing in 1993 that he would not seek a
fourth term in the Senate.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/309675.asp
Bard
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