Jack Reed: “after listening to the testimony given before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee and after much reflection, I…”

“after listening to the testimony given before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee and after much reflection, I decided to oppose the nomination of John Ashcroft as Attorney General of the United States. This has been a difficult decision; one that I take very seriously. Just as the Constitution gives the President the unfettered right to submit nominees to the Senate, the Constitution requires the Senate to give ``Advice and Consent'' on such nominations. The Senate does not name a President's Cabinet, but it also does not merely rubber stamp his choices. Senatorial consent must rest on a careful review of a nominee's record and a thoughtful analysis of a nominee's ability to serve not just the President, but the American people. Unlike other cabinet positions, the Attorney General has a very special role--decisively poised at the juncture between the executive branch and the judicial branch. In addition to being a member of the President's Cabinet, the Attorney General is also an officer of the federal courts and the chief enforcer of laws enacted by Congress. He is in effect the people's lawyer, responsible for fully, fairly and vigorously enforcing our nation's laws and Constitution for the good of all.…”