These words should be written in John Ashcroft’s political obituary:

To those who pit Americans against immigrants, citizens against non-citizens, to those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve. They give ammunition to America’s enemies and pause to America’s friends. They encourage people of good will to remain silent in the face of evil. Our efforts have been crafted carefully to avoid infringing on constitutional rights, while saving American lives.

How dare he attempt to make people feel ashamed for criticizing the government. The quote is from a CNN story about his testimony before the Senate today. I’m looking forward to a full transcript. (The gutless Orrin Hatch is no better — despite the fact that many Americans are questioning the massive intrustion on our civil rights by the executive branch of the government, Hatch tried to put the criticism of the administration down to Senate egotism.)