09/05/2026 22:37

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Ashcroft wasn’t alone in completely politicizing the confirmation process. I knew that if the American people saw the election as a choice between building a bridge to the past and building a bridge to the future, we would win. I didn’t want to compound the error by letting the reactionaries prevail. I asked Les Aspin to be secretary of defense after it became clear that Sam Nunn wouldn’t accept the appointment.

So did Paul Tsongas, but he spoke up for Al Gore and me, too. Lawton had given me courage for the current fight with one of his favorite sayings: If you can’t run with the big dogs, you ought to stay on the porch. The aid package was four times what the previous administration had allocated and three times what I had originally recommended. Both of them wanted to go home to California and to a more normal life.