Dear Friends,

President-elect Bush has brought together an excellent group to serve as his Cabinet. His nominees are a diverse, experienced and strong group. They will help enact his agenda, change the tone in Washington and make us proud.

Your help is needed to get these outstanding men and women confirmed by the United States Senate. Some of President-elect Bush's nominees are being unfairly attacked by outside groups and the Senate needs to hear from you.

One of the first Senate hearings will be Tuesday for Senator John Ashcroft, President-elect Bush's choice for Attorney General.

The hallmark of Senator Ashcroft's long history of public service has been integrity. As Attorney General, he will uphold the law and make the Department of Justice an institution all Americans can be proud of.  He brings a unique record of service to this challenge. He was twice elected Missouri's Attorney General, serving with both Republican and Democrat Governors. He was elected Governor of Missouri and then reelected with 64% of the vote. John was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he just completed a six-year term. No other Attorney General has ever had this wealth of experience.  John has a long history of strong leadership on important issues, including:

- widespread acclaim for his effectiveness in running the Missouri Attorney General's office by attracting strong men and women to serve his state and strictly upholding the law

- serving as Senator, where he co-sponsored the Violence Against Women Act

- serving as Governor, where he signed Missouri's first Hate-Crimes Bill and fought to protect victims' rights

- balancing the state budget all eight years as Governor

- making education reform a priority as Governor

- toughening penalties for crimes committed with a gun

- working to protect children at school, strengthen classroom safety

- voting for background checks at pawn shops

- earning endorsements from Missouri law enforcement agencies

- supporting 26 of 28 African-Americans nominated to the Federal bench

- was commended as Governor by one of the oldest Black Bar Associations for his record of appointing minorities

- appointing many African-Americans to Missouri's courts

- serving as one of the first Governors to sign a law creating a Martin Luther King holiday

- creating an award honoring George Washington Carver's accomplishments, saved Lincoln College, an historic Black college founded by African-American veterans of the Civil War.

Some groups are attacking John Ashcroft for opposing the nomination of Judge Ronnie White to a lifetime appointment as a Federal judge. Every Republican Senator opposed White's confirmation, in part, because he urged the softening of legal standards for a man convicted of first-degree murder (including the first-degree murder of three police officers).

Some groups charge John Ashcroft will not uphold abortion laws with which he disagrees. This is wrong and simply an attempt to undermine the new Administration. Ashcroft understands the job of the Attorney General is to carry out the letter of the law. He will restore the rule of law to the Justice Department and run a highly professional department.

First, let your Senator know you strongly support a fair confirmation process for President-elect George W. Bush's choice for Attorney General -- John Ashcroft.

Go to http://www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm to find the contact information for the Senators from your state.

Second, let the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee know you support John Ashcroft's confirmation. The committee begins its hearings Tuesday.

Biden Jr, Joseph, (202) 224-5042, senator@biden.senate.gov

DeWine, Mike, (202) 224-2315, http://www.senate.gov/~dewine/request_form.html

Feingold, Russell, (202) 224-5323, russell_feingold@feingold.senate.gov

Feinstein, Dianne, (202) 224-3841, senator@feinstein.senate.gov

Grassley, Chuck, (202) 224-3744, http://grassley.senate.gov/webform.htm

Hatch, Orrin, (202) 224-5251, senator_hatch@hatch.senate.gov

Kennedy, Edward, (202) 224-4543, senator@kennedy.senate.gov

Kohl, Herb, (202) 224-5653, senator_kohl@kohl.senate.gov

Kyl, Jon, (202) 224-4521, info@kyl.senate.gov

Leahy, Patrick, (202) 224-4242, senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov

Schumer, Charles, (202) 224-6542, senator@schumer.senate.gov

Sessions, Jeff, (202) 224-4124, senator@sessions.senate.gov

Smith, Bob, (202) 224-2841, opinion@smith.senate.gov

Specter, Arlen, (202) 224-4254, http://specter.senate.gov/webform.htm

Thurmond, Strom, (202) 224-5972, senator@thurmond.senate.gov

Torricelli, Robert, (202) 224-3224 senator_torricelli@torricelli.senate.gov

Senator Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) had this to say about the Ashcroft nomination:

"'I think it represents a very good choice'. . . the only things people want in an attorney general are 'good management, sound judgment and high integrity. They're not easy to find in one individual, but I think John Ashcroft has all of them.'" "I certainly assume I will be voting for him." - Sen. Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) (David Kocieniewski, "Staunch Democrat Eases Up on Opposition," The New York Times, January 6, 2001; Audrey Hudson, "Democrats Set For Ashcroft's Confirmation," The Washington Times, January 4, 2001) (emphasis added)

Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) Commended Ashcroft.

"I rise to pay tribute to Senator John Ashcroft as he prepares to leave the Senate. . . . Senator Ashcroft has been a man of his word who served his state and his country with distinction. I join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in wishing him well in his future endeavors." (Congressional Record, December 15, 2000)

Please forward this message to friends, family and co-workers and ask them to show their support for President-elect Bush by asking their U.S. Senators to support the confirmation of John Ashcroft.

back