BETWEEN THE LINES: Ashcroft No Friend of Civil Rights Activists

George W. Bush will be sworn into office on January 20th as only the fourth U.S. president to gain the office by winning the Electoral College, while losing the national popular vote. Coming to Washington with questions still swirling about his legitimacy, the two-term Texas governor has promised to do his best to unify the nation and heal the wounds of one of the closest and most extraordinary elections in American history.

After naming veteran officials from previous Republican administrations to several top cabinet posts, Mr. Bush hit a nerve with his selection of former Missouri Sen. John Ashcroft to head the Justice Department. Losing last November's election to the widow of Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan, Ashcroft is widely known as a staunch opponent of women's reproductive freedom and consistently hostile toward civil rights law. A recent editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch stated, "Mr. Ashcroft has built a career out of opposing school desegregation in St. Louis and opposing African-Americans for public office."

Not surprisingly, Ashcroft was proud to accept an honorary degree in 1999 from Bob Jones University, infamous for its racist policies. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Elliot Minceberg, legal director with People for the American Way, who explains why his group and many other civil rights and feminist organizations are actively opposing John Ashcroft's nomination to be the next attorney general of the United States.

Elliot Minceberg: Well, unfortunately Sen. Ashcroft's record is a record of extremism on a range of issues that are critical to millions of Americans across the country. For example, he has opposed not just abortion, but abortion under any circumstances, including rape and incest. He's opposed contraception, including allowing federal health plans to cover contraception.

He's opposed virtually any kind of affirmative action and taken a position on a number of nominees -- most significantly the Ronnie White nomination to the federal court in St. Louis, the first African American judge ever to serve on the Missouri Supreme Court -- that betray a very startling insensitivity to issues related to civil rights and women's rights, etc.

Between The Lines: Ashcroft has a record where his opposition is fairly consistent against civil rights law, including school desegregation. Would you expand on this?

Elliot Minceberg: It's certainly true. Not only as a senator, but as a governor and attorney general in Missouri he's been a vigorous opponent of desegregation and perhaps most troubling, opposed voluntary desegregation plans that were agreed to by the city of St. Louis, the St. Louis school board, the NAACP, and even by suburban districts. The one party that opposed these desegregation plans was the state of Missouri, led by John Ashcroft both as attorney general and as governor.

Between The Lines: The duties of the attorney general of the United States encompass enforcing the laws of the nation. Tell us how you think Mr. Ashcroft's political track record on both these critical issues -- reproductive and civil rights -- will affect his enforcement of existing law.

Elliot Minceberg: We're very concerned about that. I think it's critical that the Senate question him very closely. Given his virulent position on reproductive freedom, what about his responsibility to enforce the federal law that guarantees women access to reproductive health clinics? Given his position on desegregation and affirmative action, what about his responsibility to enforce civil rights laws? As Archibald Cox said a number of years ago, the attorney general should be held to a higher standard than many other executive branch nominees. Respect for the law is absolutely critical for that position as well as the perception of fairness and impartiality in administering the law. I think we have reason to be very concerned about that with respect to the Ashcroft nomination.