With John Ashcroft finally confirmed as U.S. attorney general and the Cabinet in place, George W. Bush forges ahead with his agenda as some Democrats fight the president tooth and nail.
Nothing brings out the dark angels of Washington secularism like religion praised sincerely.
President George W. Bush s pick for attorney general, devout Christian John Ashcroft, won Senate approval with the support of only eight Democrats after a multifronted nomination battle that would have tested the faith of Job. He was that confident. Failing to give Ashcroft his blessing was Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., who during last November s presidential campaign also denied his religious beliefs might cloud his governance. Civil libertarians and partisan Democrats meanwhile have been dancing on the head of the Constitution s establishment clause, which they see as the pin that will prick Bush s ballooning efforts to include faith-based programs in federal funding for welfare and community services. According to Bush, allowing such organizations to compete for federal resources will help to heal the kinds of public needs and hurts that will only respond to a mentor s touch or a pastor s prayer, as he outlined in his inaugural address.