I finished the testimony at about six-thirty, three and a half hours before I was scheduled to address the nation. Ashcroft wasn’t alone in completely politicizing the confirmation process. The case ended in a hung jury; in conservative northern Virginia, it was another setback for the independent counsel and his tactics. I knew I needed to speak to the press and take responsibility for the fiasco.
The Brady bill also passed in November, after the Senate Republicans backed off a filibuster inspired by the National Rifle Association. I issued a statement saying I had concluded that the parties could not reach agreement at this time given the historical, religious, political, and emotional dimensions of the conflict. The press had an obligation to examine the record of someone who might be President. Even though he was the Democratic leader in the House, he regularly came home on weekends to go into neighborhoods and knock on his constituents’ doors to talk with them.
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