Ashcroft greeted by protests in Texas: ‘I think history will be very kind’ To Bush

Thinkprogress:

Yesterday, former attorney general John Ashcroft spoke at the University of Texas at Austin on the differences between the Obama and Bush administrations in a lecture hosted by the Young Conservatives of Texas and College Republicans. Although “[m]ost in attendance were respectful of Ashcroft’s right to speak,” he was greeted by a group of protesters who waved “signs of dissent” and booed when he first appeared.

During his speech, Ashcroft launched a vociferous defense of both Bush’s career and his own, saying that history will judge Bush well. While he said that the former president made some mistakes, Ashcroft said that his own record was perfect: “I don’t have a mark on my conscience.” From the report by the Daily Texan:

“I think history will be very kind to [former President George W. Bush],” Ashcroft said as he began discussing the powers of the president, drawing cheers and gasps.

Ashcroft acknowledged the fact that Bush is not a perfect man and made some mistakes. […]

At one point Ashcroft noticed a dry-erase board to the side of the stage and began to describe the overlap of power between Congress and the president to declare war. As Ashcroft made his way to the right side of the stage, one protester made sure to exclaim, “No, it’s not a waterboard!” Ashcroft didn’t hear him and proceeded to draw a Venn diagram. […]

Ashcroft said he doesn’t regret any decisions he made during his time as attorney general. “I don’t have a mark on my conscience,” Ashcroft said.