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Originally Posted by irateplatypus
i'm not a fan of the patriot act and other encroachments on liberty passed in the last 4 years... but i have respect for ashcroft.
he is an honest man who used the powers that were given to him as aggressively as he could. you've got to expect that the attorney general will exercise the power given to him... if you've got issues with the power given, call your congressman. the patriot act passed the senate and house with almost UNANIMOUS approval, yet somehow he has born almost the entire brunt of scorn for the legislation.
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Ashcroft championed the PA. He toured the country promoting a second version and has fought (along side Bush) to eliminate the expiration of many portions of it. He may not have written it himself (though I'm sure the Justice Dept. had a big hand in that), he may not have signed it into law - but he assuredly praised its purpose. I'm not sure how you can hold respect for a man while still disliking that which he has spent most of his recent career praising.
And maybe if you knew the man you'd be able to claim he is honest. I don't know him, and I wouldn't take anyone's word on the matter.
Having said all of that, I can think of only three likely explanations for his departure.
1- He just wanted to go.
2- He insulted Bush in some fashion that is unknown to the public.
3- Bush wanted to get rid of Ashcroft so he could be replaced with a similar man, minus the baggage. Allowing Bush to achieve his agenda without spending as much political capital.