My Reaction to John Ashcroft

[AmerikazMost]

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft spoke tonight at UNC's Memorial Hall.

My initial response to him was that he was powerful on stage. He was a prolific speaker, seemed passionate about what he was saying. He gave a riveting account of his day on September 11, 2001. After that, it went all down hill.

After his story, he started talking about what we should have taken from 9/11 and about preventing further attacks. He said nothing of substance, simply using buzz words and appealing to values rather than policy. My girlfriend was likewise severely disappointed, saying she felt like he was talking to community college students rather than some of the top university students in the country.

I wasn't surprised. I knew he was going to be full of shit and not say anything truly detailed and pertinent. I expected it. What really got to me and surprised me was that he was not prepared for the Q&A afterwards. He danced around questions about Palestine, solutions to the disarray in Iraq, and every other subject that was brought up. When asked what he felt his biggest mistake was, he answered that it was not pushing the Patriot Act hard enough (*chuckle*).

At least give us the respect of being prepared to answer questions about current events. He even responded with an "I don't know" to one question.

I would talk about issues he spoke on, but he he spent all his time saying a lot about nothing. He talked about balancing liberty and security, a little about the wiretaps, and that it is better for the world to remove oppressive leaders like Saddam (though had no answers about other regions that were in peril like Sudan and Cambodia, the two of which he was aked about specifically).

All in all - great speaker, full of shit.

 

[PuffnScruff]

lol sounds like a great time

if you could of had some other mainstream political speaker talk to your uni who would you want?

was johnny boy asked to sing? i would have asked him to sing

 

[AmerikazMost]

lol sounds like a great time

if you could of had some other mainstream political speaker talk to your uni who would you want?

was johnny boy asked to sing? i would have asked him to sing

actually he was lol..he said that if we had a piano that he would play if the kid who asked would sing

 

[Morris]

I don't know if I'd give him a hard time for refusing to answer foreign policy questions when he was the former Attorney General. It'd be like asking Colin Powell questions about the anthrax scare in late 2001. If people have a problem or questions about this administration's foreign policy stances, they'll get the best answers from Secretaries of State, or NSA Advisors etc.

Other than that, he was a terrible attorney general, and way too out of touch with the mainstream.

 

[AmerikazMost]

I don't know if I'd give him a hard time for refusing to answer foreign policy questions when he was the former Attorney General. It'd be like asking Colin Powell questions about the anthrax scare in late 2001. If people have a problem or questions about this administration's foreign policy stances, they'll get the best answers from Secretaries of State, or NSA Advisors etc.

Other than that, he was a terrible attorney general, and way too out of touch with the mainstream.

Agreed, but he did come to promote the administration's policies towards preventing further terrorist attacks, including removing Saddam from power and the war in Iraq.

He spoke on foreign issues on his volition.

 

[AmerikazMost]

http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/m...arheel.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com

John Ashcroft, former U.S. attorney general and an architect of the controversial Patriot Act, was welcomed Tuesday evening by crowds of UNC students lining the aisles of Memorial Hall for a picture and a handshake.

When he reached the podium, he received a standing ovation.

For the rest of his speech, he fielded interruptions and accusations from audience members less favorable of his political legacy. One group of students, in a coordinated effort, walked out of the theater in the middle of the speech.

Ashcroft made observations to the more than 1,000 audience members about the evolution of U.S. foreign and domestic policy during the five years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

He defended the Patriot Act and other security measures, saying they reflect that freedom and justice are better served when attacks are prevented rather than prosecuted or avenged.

"Sometimes in doing what you do to prevent something, you literally ruin the chance for prosecution," he said. "If that's the case, so be it."

He said that when he ordered the Justice Department to think outside the box on the war on terror, it never was used to sidestep the U.S. Constitution.

He said the United States cannot afford to sit on the sidelines of the war on terror, and the objective of prevention should extend to decisions about when to declare war.

"There are two times to fight tyranny: too early and too late," he said. "As long as I have a son in the Navy and a heart beating in my chest, I have to make a decision: Mark me down for too early in the fight for the defense of freedom."

He said the war in Iraq has succeeded so far in its purpose of enhancing U.S. liberties and sharing them with countries overseas.

"America's fight against terror has been the most respectful fight regarding civil liberties in the history of the United States," he said.

But some audience members disagreed, citing possible civil war and the death toll as examples of why they say the war is failing.

Omar Halawa, a first-year medical student, said Ashcroft handled the interruptions well but did not explain whether the protection of U.S. liberties was worth denying Iraqi citizens basic human rights such as food and safety.

"I thought he spoke well *- he had a lot of stories," he said. "But I don't think he answered enough questions, and I don't like the kind of sneering humor he gives to very serious issues."

Christian Duke, a senior political science major, said he expected Ashcroft to be more concerned with pushing an agenda.

"I thought it was more of an explanation than a rally," he said.

Ashcroft said he doesn't have the answers for the Middle East, but he ended his speech with a positive outlook on the years to come.

"I make one prediction," he said, "And that is that America will prevail, and freedom will prevail and it will survive."