Ashcroft says FBI stepping up efforts to protect election

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Americans can rest assured that terrorists won't get the opportunity to disrupt the Nov. 2 election, Attorney General John Ashcroft said Thursday.

Ashcroft, speaking to about 200 Rotary Club members in Springfield, reiterated that he has issued a directive allowing the FBI to seek the help of other federal agencies to ensure the election goes off without a hitch.

Covered under the directive are the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The FBI is free to use the agencies to conduct interviews, surveillance and whatever else is deemed necessary, Ashcroft said.

The directive is one of many government efforts in the wake of persistent intelligence indicating al-Qaida is determined to attack inside the United States before the election.

Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a Homeland Security Department component known as ICE, have been matching identities of visa violators nationwide with names on secret government terrorism databases in hopes of finding al-Qaida operatives.

The actions have been criticized by some who worry people may be targeted because of their ethnicity or religious beliefs.

Ashcroft, who grew up in Springfield and owns a farm in the area, was speaking to a friendly audience. He was a member of Rotary Club of Southeast Missouri before embarking on his political career. The club has made him an honorary member.

Afterward, Ashcroft expressed confidence President Bush would be re-elected. Ashcroft declined to say whether he would be willing to serve another four years as attorney general.

"I have a job of trying to secure the lives and liberties of the people of this country that I'm looking at and focusing on intently now," he said. "I'm frankly near-term focused in that respect. I'm not looking to the long-term or making those kind of judgments or presumptions at this time."

During his speech, Ashcroft said one of the government's his most pressing jobs is to find terrorist cells and dismantle them. He said the Patriot Act, a package of prosecution and surveillance measures passed by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that has been criticized as infringing on citizens' constitutional rights, has been an effective tool.

"I sleep a lot better because the Patriot Act is in effect," he said.