Ashcroft's lobbying firm represents the very companies he's advocating immunity for

how in-your-face outrageous can he be, saying something like this...? hey... wait a minute... how outrageous can the nyt be in PRINTING the goddam thing...? lordy, lordy...

ashcroft, writing in an op-ed in today's nyt...

Longstanding principles of law hold that an American corporation is entitled to rely on assurances of legality from officials responsible for government activities. The public officials in question might be right or wrong about the advisability or legality of what they are doing, but it is their responsibility, not the company’s, to deal with the consequences if they are wrong. To deny immunity under these circumstances would be extraordinarily unfair to any cooperating carriers. By what principle of justice should anyone face potentially ruinous liability for cooperating with intelligence activities that are authorized by the president and whose legality has been reviewed and approved by our most senior legal officials.

but johnny doesn't have anything at stake here... no, sireee...

After leaving government in 2005, Ashcroft began a lobbying and consulting firm. The Ashcroft Group is among several prominent DC firms representing telecommunications giant AT&T, Roll Call reported earlier this year. The Times acknowledges the potential conflict of interest in an editors note, but it obviously was not enough of a concern to keep editors from running Ashcroft's column.

un-friggingly-believable...

Ashcroft does not personally represent a company targeted by about 40 lawsuits that have been filed nationwide.

oh... well, then... never mind...

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