WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Departing Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites), dealt several court defeats over U.S. anti-terrorism policies, on Friday derided what he called judges' second-guessing of the president's decisions.
"These encroachments include some of the most fundamental aspects of the president's conduct of the war on terrorism," Ashcroft told the Federalist Society, a conservative lawyers group, in his first public remarks since the White House announced his resignation on Tuesday.
"The danger I see here is that intrusive judicial oversight and second-guessing of presidential determinations in these critical areas can put at risk the very security of our nation in a time of war," Ashcroft said.