On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 12:45 PM, <
knowknot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> Ashcroft a moderate ?!?
I haven't read the Slate or Wash. Post piece, but did read about this episode in Jane Mayer's recent book -- "The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals" -- in which Mayer's take is less that Ashcroft was exhibiting "moderation" (whatever that means) and much more that he didn't like Yoo and, more importantly, that is was a turf-war issue, i.e., that Ashcroft didn't trust Yoo and found annoying/troubling that Yoo communicated/dealt directly with the White House (e.g., Addington) thus by-passing Ashcroft as (putatively/nominally) Yoo's boss, and Ashcroft didn't want that to continue.
John Ashcroft's finest hour:
http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2007/05/15/comey_testifies/--------------------------------snip
Comey's testimony reads like a detective story. Minutes later, there is
a showdown in the hospital room. Ashcroft, buffered by his wife and
three of his senior deputies, faces down Gonzales and Card and refuses
to sign off on the spy program. Gonzales and Card storm out of the
room. Card calls Comey and demands that he come to the White House, but
Comey refuses to go until he can get Ted Olson, the solicitor general,
to accompany him. "After what I just witnessed, I will not meet with
you without a witness," Comey tells Card.
--
" I have the heart of a child... in a jar on my desk. " - Stephen King