ASHCROFT, O'REILLY AND THE NATIONAL GUARD

In nominating U.S. Sen. JOHN ASHCROFT to become the U.S. attorney general, President-elect GEORGE W. BUSH'S comments included the following:

"I understand this, that an effective attorney general must be a person of proven character and executive ability.

"As I looked around to find the appropriate person to lead this important office, I looked for three things. One, a person of unquestionable integrity. Secondly, somebody who knows how to manage, an executive, somebody who can handle a large agency. And thirdly, I wanted someone who would have a commitment to fair and firm and impartial administration of justice.

"I'm confident I found that person in John Ashcroft. He now holds the Senate seat that Harry Truman held. He was elected to office in the great state of Missouri, elected as the attorney general of that state, elected twice as the governor of the state of Missouri. He's had a distinguished record in public service."

Note: He was elected twice as governor and once to the U.S. Senate by some of the greatest majorities in Missouri history.

"It is my honor to send this good man's name to the United States Senate to be the 79th attorney general of the United States."

Anyone who knows Ashcroft and intends to play the race card in efforts to oppose Ashcroft's nomination will know the dishonesty of their position.

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I've finished reading the best-selling book "THE O'REILLY FACTOR" by Bill O'Reilly of Fox TV.

If you want to read blunt opinions that I guarantee you won't agree with 100 percent but will become better informed and appreciative of his background and experiences ... read this book.

O'Reilly's opinion of President BILL CLINTON on Page 180 is priceless and sets the stage for his opinion of U.S. Attorney General JANET RENO as follows:

"This ridiculous, incompetent woman has been President Clinton's 'enabler.' She clearly obstructed justice in the campaign-finance investigation by refusing to appoint a special prosecutor. This decision was made despite the pleas of her top investigator on the case, Charles LaBella, and also the head of the FBI, Louis Freeh. Reno refused even to meet with LaBella to discuss his lengthy report and recommendations on the matter. Instead, she chose to down-grade his concerns, and then she denied him a promised promotion when he went public with his frustrations.

"It's true that the American public did not really care about the campaign-finance disclosures, but the Department of Justice is not supposed to be poll-driven. When the attorney general of the United States fails to do her sworn duty to uphold the law, that is way beyond ridiculous. ... It is serious. And it gets worse. This woman cut sweet deals with Johnny Chung, Charlie Trie and others so that they received extremely lenient sentences in exchange for nothing. Nothing! Chung himself told me he was shocked that the department's investigators never followed up on information that he willingly supplied -- without even being asked. And why didn't they? That's only one of the questions I would like to ask Reno -- very politely -- except that she refuses to let me interview her, preferring the rough-and-tumble questions Oprah throws at her."

This book is a fast read and entertaining. It includes chapters on Class, Money, Sex, Media, Parents, Dating, Politics, Race. He covers a much broader range of topics than I expected ... and the book's success has him already working on a second book.

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Spread too thin? He didn't suggest it, but I will. In our recent series on the Missouri National Guard by our Jefferson City bureau reporter MARC POWERS, the following was reported:

During 37 years as a member of the Missouri National Guard, Maj. Gen. John D. Havens has witnessed it gradually become a more professional force. It is a trend he wants to see continue.

"The National Guard today is part of what we call a total force," Havens said.

The U.S. military is currently involved in operations in 89 foreign countries, the most in the nation's history, Havens said. At the same time, the number of people in the military is at its lowest point since 1939.

"In order to make this work, all of the reserve components are heavily involved in these peacekeeping operations around the world," Havens said. "So the National Guard and reserves have become much more professional."

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A win on Internet filtering: One family victory in the recent congressional budget package was the passage of a measure to make sure that those schools and libraries which receive federal assistance for Internet connections also apply filters that screen out pornography. This victory comes none too soon. A study by the international Internet measurement company NetValue confirms common sense by concluding that, if given unfettered Internet access, children would go to pornography sites. The study found that more than a quarter (27.5 percent) of children under 17 on the Internet visited so-called adult sites in September. NetValue's work also indicated that overall, once children reached pornographic sites, they spent 65 percent more time on them than on game sites. In order to become truly adult, our children must learn that the precious marital gift of sexuality is meant for something far more noble than the quick clicks of modem-enhanced peeping. At a minimum, our schools and libraries should not obstruct this important lesson about the real facts of life. -- Washington Update

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The rural preacher: A rural preacher ran a stop sign and was pulled over by a police officer, who noticed a paper sack in the back seat that looked like it contained a bottle.

"What's in the sack, Reverend?" asked the cop.

"It's holy water," replied the preacher.

The officer took the bottle out of the sack, opened it and sniffed the contents.

"Reverend, that smells like wine to me," the officer said.

"Hallelujah!" the preacher shouted. "He's done it again!" -- E-mail from a friend

~Gary Rust is president of Rust Communications.