ASHCROFT THE MODERATE

Devastating piece in today’s New York Times on John Ashcroft’s record in Missouri. According to reporter James Dao, Ashcroft’s record in that state was running as a fire-breathing conservative but governing as a pragmatic centrist: “As attorney general, for example, he ruled that religious literature could not be distributed at public schools and that federal money could not be used for teaching parochial school students, though he supported both policies. And when term limits ended his tenure as governor in 1992, the most common criticism against Mr. Ashcroft was not that he had been a firebrand conservative who tried to dismantle state government, but a careful administrator more adept at blocking Democratic initiatives than twisting arms to advance his own.” Take that, Ms Michelman! “Three times,” Dao reports, “[Ashcroft] endorsed Democratic-backed tax increases for roads and schools. He signed legislation increasing penalties for crimes motivated by bigotry and raised spending on legal services for the poor. And his legislative agendas relied heavily on bipartisan ideas, from economic development to higher pay for teachers to tougher penalties for criminals.” It looks increasingly likely that Ashcroft is going to be easily confirmed this week. As likely as the surprising development that the culture war waged by the Left is beginning to lose just a little bit of its steam.