Although it's probably in bad taste to do so, I get a great deal of pleasure from those sweet times when sanctimonious moralizers are brought low. Bill Bennett, Rush Limbaugh, John Ashcroft, and so on, profess to be good Christians. I'm a Godless Heathen (or at best a Unitarian), and even I remember that thing about the mote in your eye and the splinter in your neighbor's. Or whatever.

John Ashcroft, come on down!

Exhibit A) The legality of medical marijuana use has been upheld in California. That's right, the G-d D-mn Liberals on the Ninth Circuit Court used the pro-Federalism Commerce Clause implications of two recent conservatively-decided SCOTUS cases to decide the Federal Government may not interfere with medical marijuana programs in California. W00t! Seems Federalism is a good idea that the G-d D-mn Liberals can use too.

Thanks to Randy Barnett of the Volokh Conspiracy for the pointer, and kudos to him for being one of the lawers to argue the case in favor of pot before the 9th as well. If I ever see him around Boston, the beers are on me.

Exhibit B) Ashcroft has been rebuked for violating a court-imposed gag order regarding a terrorism trial.

A federal judge in Detroit rebuked Attorney General John Ashcroft yesterday for violating a gag order in the nation's first terrorism trial after the Sept. 11 attacks.

U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen said Ashcroft "exhibited a distressing lack of care" by issuing public statements during the nine-week trial that ended in June, despite a court order prohibiting them. Twice, Ashcroft publicly praised the government's lead witness in the case.

According to Ashcroft, his remarks were "inadvertant." Luckily for him, "inadvertancy" has been long established as a valid defense in American courts. Just try it next time you are caught speeding. "Geez man, I didn't mean to!"

Exhibit C) The FEC has slapped the Atty. Gen. for illegally using $110,000 in his unsuccessful Senate campaign that had been donated to a committee he had formed to explore running for President.

The Federal Election Commission has determined that Attorney General John D. Ashcroft's unsuccessful 2000 Senate reelection campaign violated election laws by accepting $110,000 in illegal contributions from a committee Ashcroft had established to explore running for president. Additionally, Ashcroft was fined for lending an extensive donor list to one of his committees that had been paid for by the other. Hey! That's illegal!

In documents released yesterday by the FEC, Garrett M. Lott, treasurer for the two Ashcroft committees, the Spirit of America PAC and Ashcroft 2000, agreed to pay a $37,000 fine for at least four violations of federal campaign law. Lott agreed "not to contest" the charges.

It's probably clear I'm no great friend of Ashcroft's. And while I don't necessarily agree that he's an evil idiot hellbent on destroying the country, I do think he's a sanctimonious putz who's only slightly more qualified to be an Attorney General than an above-average dog would be. Therefore, neener, neener, neener!