Blunt hopeful for Ashcroft bid

Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt expects John Ashcroft to be confirmed as attorney general, all the controversy surrounding him notwithstanding. Blunt, a fellow Republican, believes Ashcroft will survive the confirmation hearings that begin in Washington next week. “He’ll do a great job and he’ll uphold the laws,” he said. Blunt chalks up the controversy to the differences in views of how the country should be run.