Democratic Senators Express Doubts About Ashcroft
Sunday, December 31, 2000
By Brigitte Greenberg
WASHINGTON — Several influential Democrats said Sunday that they are distressed by President-elect Bush's cabinet choices to date, mentioning attorney general-designate John Ashcroft as a particular problem because of his opposition to abortion and gun-control measures.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called Ashcroft's prospects at Senate confirmation for attorney general "hardly a done deal" and said he is "truly worried" that Ashcroft would not enforce federal laws banning violence against abortion clinics or laws that restrict gun ownership. In fact, Schumer commented that Ashcroft would work to repeal those laws.
"He is far and away the most troubling choice," Schumer said on ABC's This Week. "The question is, will Senator Ashcroft enforce the law of the land on things that he's morally opposed to?"
However, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, appearing on the same program, said he would be surprised if the Senate does not confirm Ashcroft, the outgoing senator from Missouri who has served as that state's attorney general and governor.
"He is a man of integrity. He is a man of great experience," Hatch said. "I have no doubt, as a former attorney general and hopefully as this attorney general, he will enforce the law, regardless of whether he agrees with it or not."
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., also expressed concerns about Ashcroft, saying that he and other Democrats intend to ask him tough questions during his confirmation hearings, specifically whether he intends to enforce civil rights laws that protect minorities and statutes protecting equal rights for women.
"He has to convince a lot of his colleagues and a lot of those who are concerned ... that he can do that," Daschle told NBC's Meet the Press.
Senate Republican Whip Don Nickles of Oklahoma said he doesn't understand why Ashcroft's critics are "taking these unfair cracks at him."
"I think some people are ... looking for an issue. They're looking for a fight," Nickles told NBC. "They want to have a big divisive battle. I think they're picking on the wrong person with John Ashcroft."
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., told CBS' Face the Nation he believes Ashcroft will eventually be confirmed, but not before he is thoroughly questioned by skeptical Democratic senators. Likewise, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., told Fox News Sunday he knows of no reason why Ashcroft would be rejected outright.
While Ashcroft's nomination brought some criticism, Bush seemed less willing to join an ideological fight over whether gays may serve in the military.
Former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats, a candidate for secretary of defense, lost out on the job when he reportedly told Bush he wanted to scale back accommodations made to women and gays in the service, Newsweek reported, quoting an unnamed source. Efforts to reach Coats Sunday were not immediately successful. Bush spokesman Dan Bartlett declined to comment on the report.
"Any personnel decisions made by the president-elect are not open for discussion, out of respect for those not chosen as well as those we did choose," he said Sunday.
Another Bush Cabinet choice that raised questions Sunday was former Colorado attorney general Gale Norton, nominated for Secretary of the Interior. She has expressed support for oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an idea that Bush favors and many Democratic senators oppose.
"The question is will she reach out and ... try to meet half way, as opposed to saying it's my way or no way?" Schumer said.
The bigger question, Democrats said, is whether Bush can work with a Senate that is split evenly between Democrats and Republicans. Bush has expressed a desire to appoint a Democrat to his Cabinet but has not done so at this point.
Levin said that wouldn't be enough anyway. "He's going to have to show in programs and policies a willingness to work with Democrats, to work out compromises with us. A single selection of a Democrat here and there in his Cabinet is not going to make the difference, except in the most superficial way," he said.
Hatch said Bush's stated intention to reach out and work with Democrats is genuine. "I know (President-elect) Bush has tried to get some Democrats into the Cabinet. He hasn't been successful so far."
Another potential problem for Bush may be Sen. John McCain's insistence on campaign finance reform. McCain, R-Ariz., pushed the issue heavily during his failed primary run for the presidency and all indications are that he will not drop his plan, despite Bush's opposition.
"I think (McCain) needs to show a little deference to President Bush and help him get his agenda started and work out a time, a mutually agreeable time, to where he can bring up campaign finance," Nickles, R-Okla., told NBC. Campaign finance reform is still possible, he said, but unlikely to come in the form McCain has proposed.
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