Russ Feingold: “My colleagues, when we vote today, I'm going to do what I sincerely believe to be the right thing to do: vote for…”

“My colleagues, when we vote today, I'm going to do what I sincerely believe to be the right thing to do: vote for confirmation of John Ashcroft as Attorney General of the United States. For many of my colleagues, friends, supporters, and constituents, this is not easy to understand. And some see it as terribly wrong. After all, my voting record and that of John Ashcroft could hardly be more different, and there is no question that the opposition has raised significant and serious concerns about the appropriateness of this nomination. Let me begin by noting a few positive aspects of former Senator John Ashcroft's positions and responses to questions at his hearing on two issues I care deeply about. On racial profiling, as I said at the outset of the hearing on Sen. Ashcroft's nomination, during the last Congress I found him more receptive to my concerns about the issue than virtually anyone on the Republican side of the aisle. He and his staff not only permitted but assisted in a significant and powerful hearing on racial profiling in the Constitution Subcommittee. Although he did not ultimately cosponsor our traffic stop statistics bill, he made constructive suggestions about the bill, and his interest in addressing this terrible problem I believe was sincere.”