By Zach Shaheen

I liken Ashcroft’s presentation last week to the degenerate gambler I so often meet. I was very pleased with not only the conservative clubs’ success at bringing Ashcroft to campus, but especially with the protesting clubs’ precise, thought-provoking and respectful dialogue.

However, his rhetoric, which he often trivialized by joking about civil liberties, and the underlying Orwellian Republican policies, must be further critiqued.

Ashcroft’s speech articulated the schizophrenic logic that has formed a basis of conservative government policy since Reagan’s tenure.

He preached freedom and democracy, yet neglected to acknowledge that our concept of democracy has been increasingly limited to only our own country.

We have promoted the rise to and consolidation of power by tyrants, and we have failed to address the belligerent disregard for international democracy or peace unless it suits our needs. When genocide erupts in Africa, we are content with watching from the sidelines.

While preaching personal liberties, Republicans have stifled the Constitution, blatantly disregarded international laws and ignored the Geneva Conventions.

While proclaiming that America does not use torture methods, Ashcroft declared that we do use “enhanced interrogation” methods. Note: we convicted many Japanese military personnel after World War II for using these very same techniques.

United States policy with Iraq best symbolizes this conservative schizophrenia. We entered Iraq in 2003 with the intention of removing a repressive regime and destroying any weapons of mass destruction.

But the question many Republicans conveniently avoid is how did we come to this?

They refuse to acknowledge that their savior, Ronald Reagan, perpetuated both of these trends. During the Iran/Iraq War, his administration not only supported Saddam’s regime, but also provided arms and many chemical and biological weapons — the same weapons that were used to exterminate the Kurdish population and unimaginable numbers of Iranians.

Ashcroft maintains that we have not tortured. Promoting tyrants, arming genocides and ignoring international laws are torture.

If America wishes to remain the world model and beacon of hope that we are capable of being, we cannot be content with the path that conservatives are trying to lead the United States down.

In retrospect, Ashcroft and his Republican colleagues are not so different than the two-faced poker players I often encounter.

To defeat this blind and ignorant aggression that our contradictory Republican counterparts maintain, we must all continue to question, call the opposition’s bluffs and seek transparency in issues and accountability in actions.