It should be noted, too, that some of his harshest denunciations of the courts have been directed at decisions which uphold laws that conflict with his religious beliefs. He has been especially critical of decisions upholding reproductive freedom and preserving the separation of church and state. Speaking to the Christian Coalition on the subject of school prayer, Ashcroft told the gathering that, "A robed elite have taken the wall of separation designed to protect the church and they have made it a wall of religious oppression."

Ashcroft has made many other statements that support the conclusion that he views his religion, not as a private matter, but as a standard upon which the laws of the country should be based. Among them are the statements he made during his speech to students at the conservative Bob Jones University:

"Unique among the nations, America recognized the source of our character as being godly and eternal, not being civic and temporal. And because we have understood that our source is eternal, America has been different. We have no king but Jesus. [...] There's a difference between a culture that has no king but Caesar, no standard but the civil authority, and a culture that has no king but Jesus, no standard but the eternal authority.

No one doubts that John Ashcroft's religious beliefs are deeply-held, and deeply important to him personally. And no one disputes his right to follow his religious convictions in his personal life. But Ashcroft's record and public statements seem to indicate a willingness to impose his religious beliefs on others, through both policy and legislation. Nowhere is this willingness more clear than in the area of reproductive freedom.

In the Senate, Ashcroft co-sponsored a "Human Life Amendment" that would have banned both abortions and many popular forms of contraception. It would also have subjected pregnant women to prosecution for conduct during the pregnancy which harmed the fetus. He even opposed including coverage of contraceptives in federal health plans. As Governor of Missouri, he signed a law which declared that life begins at conception, and prohibited even abortions necessary to protect a woman's health.

Most tellingly, perhaps, in a 1997 speech given to the Conservative Political Action Conference he delivered a scathing criticism of the "tyranny" of the federal courts, which, in his words, had "challenged God's ability to mark when life begins."

Ashcroft is not just a conservative, he's an extremist conservative. He is not just against abortion - even in the cases of rape or incest - he's against most methods of contraception. He doesn't just oppose equal rights for gays and lesbians, his church teaches that gays are not even to be tolerated. This is the person who will be in charge of protecting a woman's right to choose? The person in charge of enforcing federal anti-discrimination statutes and prosecuting companies who discriminate against women and minorities? The person who will be in charge of prosecuting terrorists who murder doctors and bomb clinics?

Is that the sound of a razor-clawed glove being sharpened?

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