Look At The Record

Shannen W. Coffin, a former Justice Department employee, has her own excellent tribute to John Ashcroft's record at NRO.

Among the cold, hard facts she throws out (that you've somehow never heard in the mainstream media):

Violent crime is at a 30-year low, declining by 27 percent during the three-year period between 2001-2003. While a staunch supporter of gun ownership, Ashcroft also realized what many of his predecessors had not — that the way to stop violent crime is to enforce the gun laws that are on the books. Thus, federal gun-crime prosecutions are up over 75 percent in the last four years. In 2003 alone, more federal gun charges were brought than any prior year on record. The result was that 250,000 fewer gun crimes were committed in the last three years than in the prior three. Drug trafficking and human trafficking have been heavily targeted by the Justice Department, resulting in severe disruptions in criminal syndicates operating in both areas. The list goes on.

History will show Ashcroft as one of America's greatest AGs. And it will look with shame on the media's behavior during the early years of the 21st century.