Being a resident of St. Louis, I'm probably a bit more
familiar with (and worse for wear), with Mr.
Ashcroft's particular brand of politics. That he
appealed to Mr. Bush comes as no surprise ... he's run
and won for years by creating a patently false
"moderate" image for people to vote for. In reality,
Ashcroft's own political views, agenda and voting
record can be found on the extremest fringes of the
reactionary right.
But it's the nomination, and not Mr. Ashcroft
*himself* we must be wary of in this case. Bush's
choice can be likened to a baseball manager walking
out to argue with the ump about a close call at first.
It's not *that* call the manager's really interested
in ... it's the next one. The one that might count.
The play at the plate.
Ashcroft's nomination, in other words, is really not
much more than a straw man offered as sacrfice to more
liberal Democrats. Sure they can shoot Ashcroft down,
but how much *better* in comparison, will Bush's
nomination for ... Supreme Court Justice ... look by
comparison? And therein lies the play at the plate.
In closing, do I think Bush is this politically savvy?
No, the man's clearly a simpleton. But Dick Cheney
on the other hand ... you bet.
And now, let the flames begin ... I promised to learn
to stay out of these issues ... so much for New Year's
resolutions! ;-)
Don Rowe
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