A racist who doesn't have respect for civil liberties, OK! That radical right-wing bastard! Thank God that I don't have to hear about this garbage anymore!

A man of deep moral convitions and respect for the constitution.

There isn't a rating low enough for this person..he is a total fool!

2.08- Well, why am I not surprised?! Ashcroft was an excellent Attorney General and were it not for his strong moral convictions, who knows where we would be right now?! Let the unhelpful count roll...

With his departure, he has given his critics wings to obfuscate his accomplishments into some diabolically, pre-ordained effort to infringe upon the rights of ordinary Americans. Have your fun, twist the truth of his record, call him names, accuse him of all sorts of treasonous and anti-constitutional conduct. Now, tell me: did he pass the Patriot Act? Whose rights has he violated, specifically? Oh, all Americans? How about a single example? Oh, he enforces the Patriot Act. The act that the bi-partisan 9/11/01 commission determined DID NOT GO FAR ENOUGH TO PROTECT AMERICANS AGAINST ANOTHER TERRORIST ATTACK! But, he should back off, not use the law (the one Congress overwhelmingly passed) to protect Americans. Right, we need milquetoast in our Attorney General, bring back Janet Reno, someone who really respected the rights of Americans, including the citizens who happened to have been related to Elian Gonzalez, the ones whose house in Miami, armed commandos stormed to take the kid back to Cuba. Not to mention incinerating David Koresh and his followers. Where was your outrage then? Right, we need more moral people in these positions. But, Ashcroft is dangerous. He has to be punished. Right.

I don't understand how the US can have prison torture camps in the mold of Nazi concentration camps. What is really going on in your country?

Should be put in jail for treason for tampering with our Constitution.

Better than Reno, but not much.

Most corrupt FBI administrator since Hoover.

magellan said it very well - ashcroft is dangerous

Ashcroft (deservedly) gets a lot of bad press from privacy and civil liberties watch dog groups. He has also been somewhat questioned on his maniacal pursuit of the most peripheral aspects of the marijuana trade - now people like Tommy Chong are in jail for selling pipes on the Internet. The one area where I don't think he is getting enough heat is regarding the damage he has done to Federalism - the system that has been extraordinarly successful in letting individual states act as guinea pigs in trialing policy and new ways of managing social issues - particularly in the area of law enforcement and education. Ashcroft has repeatedly ignored the Federalist principles of the constitution, and has waged war against states that differ from his view of the world. To put it bluntly, it's Ashcroft's way or the highway when it comes to law enforcement. This disregard for federalism should piss off the right, as well as the left, and is another example of the Bush Administration's shocking dearth of diplomatic skills when it comes to dealing with important stakeholders.

A far right conservative buffoon. The patriot act is one of the worst ideas ever because a person's right to privacy should not be violated. This is merely a tool to enstill fear in the masses, to put constraints on freedoms and encroach the private lives of American citizens.

John Ashcroft is completely evil! He is possibly the worst member of the Bush Administration. He does not respect the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, and seeks to turn the United States into a presidential-dictatorship. (I coined that phrase myself.) Just look at the terrible laws that have been passed during his tenure restricting the right of free speech and other important rights. The Patriot Act was Ashcrof's handiwork, clearly revealing his unpatriotic plans for America. What is so patriotic about restricting basic rights that we fought hard for?