Crypto-buff & conservative GOPer for president?

[Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>]

*9   ASHCROFT: HEALER OF THE BREACH?
	Under the header "The Gospel According To John," New
Republic's Zengerle profiles Sen. John Ashcroft (R-MO).
Ashcroft, "the most authentic social conservative currently
receiving serious consideration" for the GOP nod, is "laying
claim to the Reagan legacy," in an effort to "prevent his base
from splintering."  An ally of the religious right, "who view
Ashcroft as a fellow traveler," he "holds morning prayer meetings
in his office, and on Sundays he attends Assembly of God services
in an underground movie theater at Union Station."  He has
proposed a bill to make social Security taxes deductible, will
unveil his own flat-tax proposal and "continues to push" for term
limits.  His "strategy has one salient flaw, however: it is risky
for a candidate of such low national name recognition to cast
himself as a healer of the breach."  A prominent conservative:
"Steve Forbes can't legitimately say that he's been fighting the
good fight for this community for the past ten years. ... He's
kicked this constituency in the teeth for a better part of the
decade. If I'm John Ashcroft, I'd point that out" (12/22 issue).