Jackson Plans Drive Against Ashcroft

Civil rights groups will publicly confront Democratic senators and demand that they vote against Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Mo.) for attorney general. The Rev. Jesse Jackson said lawmakers will be confronted at public events--such as Martin Luther King Day activities--this month. Ashcroft has been known for his staunch anti-abortion stand and for leading a drive to kill the nomination of Missouri Supreme Court Justice Ronnie White, who is black, to the federal bench. The effort also will try to defeat the nomination of New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. She has angered blacks because of racial profiling by state police.