Finally, we are unconvinced that Ashcroft would consistently serve the public interest. He has been dubbed "the senator from Claritin" by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for his efforts to help the drug's producer, Schering-Plough, evade patent limitations and keep low-cost generic versions off of the market. Consumers would lose $11 billion from the extension and receive nothing in return; Ashcroft, on the other hand, received a $50,000 campaign donation.
We do not believe that Ashcroft is the only candidate Bush could support as the nation's highest-ranking law-enforcement official, and we urge the Senate to reject his appointment and ask Bush for another nominee.
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