Ashcroft: GOP shouldn't be just about wins

Neither the source nor meaning of liberty, nor its preservation, can be found in following poll results or by standing on the sidelines during the contest for leadership of the nation, former U.S. attorney general John Ashcroft told the crowd during the Cape Girardeau County Lincoln Day celebration.

Ashcroft, returning to Cape Girardeau for one of his few appearances here as a private citizen not seeking public office, spoke for a little over a half-hour. He wove quotes from Lincoln, Albert Einstein and poet Emma Lazarus into his speech as he sought to elevate the meaning of being a Republican from just winning elections to protecting the source of America's greatness.

At several points in his speech, he stated his admiration for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. John McCain, as one who stood fast for a course that was neither popular nor in sync with the policies of President Bush.

But the theme of the speech was liberty and the American tradition of expanding and protecting freedom. When Lincoln was leaving Springfield, Ill., for his inauguration, Ashcroft noted, he said he faced a task greater than that George Washington faced leading the Continental Army during the Revolution.

Keeping a nation together was more difficult than bringing one into being, Ashcroft said.

"That is where Lincoln was," Ashcroft said. "He could envisage a future and a new level of freedom that hadn't been in the capacity of others to see."

Nothing is more precious than liberty, Ashcroft said. The Republican Party must constantly remind the public that protecting liberty is the guiding principle of the party, he added.

"Liberty is the hothouse of human achievement, and it is the hallmark of the Republican Party," he said.

Ashcroft's talk, to more than 600 people gathered in the Arena Building, capped an evening of speeches from Republican notables from the area and across the state.

For some, such as state Rep. Mary Kasten and Rep. Scott Lipke, it was an opportunity to offer thanks for expressions of support -- Kasten in a recently completed special election and Lipke for thoughts and prayers during the illness of his infant daughter.

For others, such as Wayne Wallingford and Jeff Glenn, it was a chance to ask for support in upcoming elections. Wallingford and Glenn will compete in the GOP primary in the 158th District Missouri House seat Kasten won in the special election but has declined to pursue a full term.

State Sen. Jason Crowell of Cape Girardeau, seeking re-election, chided the Democratic Party for seeking to offer change and reminded voters of the poor fiscal condition of the state when Republicans swept into power in the 2004 election. "Now they want change," Crowell said. "We can't afford their change."

With Blunt's withdrawal from the race for another term, Republicans are facing a primary to select a candidate between state Treasurer Sarah Steelman, who was on hand, and U.S. Rep. Kenny Hulshof, who was represented by his wife, Renee.

Steelman reminded the crowd that she had sponsored the state constitutional amendment against gay marriage and sought to eliminate state investments in companies that do business with countries that are listed as being havens for or supporting terrorists.

Hulshof offered a more personal approach, reminding the crowd that her husband was born in the Bootheel, worked in Cape Girardeau as a public defender and an assistant prosecutor and still has a farm near Charleston, Mo.

In an interview, Steelman said she's not afraid a primary will damage GOP chances in the fall.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, seeking re-election, said the GOP's challenges this year were among the reasons he withdrew from a bid for governor rather than remain in a potentially divisive primary. "Our cause is larger than one person," Kinder said.

Ashcroft followed those speakers, and others, to deliver his call to action. As he closed, he noted that Lincoln's Gettysburg Address included a prediction that people would not remember his words but would the deeds of the soldiers who died in that great battle.

"I want to sign up as someone wiling to do more than talk," Ashcroft said. "The world won't respect us for we did here if it is just talk."

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126