Ashcroft opposition grows

Coalitions are forming to oppose John Ashcroft’s nomination as Attorney General. One of the groups is the Center for Constitutional Rights, a Washington-based group. An attorney for the group, David Cole, says Ashcroft’s nomination “threatens to undermine the Justice Department’s critical role in the nation’s fight for racial justice and women’s rights.” New York activist Al Sharpton says his group will join the NAACP and Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow Push Coalition in taking deliberate actions to block the confirmation.