Reno’s Legacy-Saving
The Florida gubernatorial candidate goes on the attack.

By David Limbaugh, syndicated columnist and lawyer. Limbaugh is author of Absolute Power, about the Clinton-Reno Justice Department.
February 13, 2002 9:00 a.m.

n her speech at Minnesota State University Janet Reno called for an end to political rhetoric that "tears down people, and demeans us all in the process." She then proceeded to spew forth political rhetoric against her successor, Attorney General Ashcroft, that was apparently intended to tear him down and demean us all in the process.

Reno took Ashcroft to task for questioning "the patriotism of anyone who has questioned what has been done [with respect to post 9/11 law enforcement]." Well, at least General Ashcroft had the decency not to question her patriotism for failing to appoint an Independent Counsel to investigate the relaxed national security and outflow of nuclear intelligence to Red China that occurred under the Clinton-Reno watch while that country filled the presidential campaign coffers with illegal contributions.

But in her defense, perhaps Reno has just taken a page out of her mentor's playbook — rehabilitation of her legacy must take center stage. What better way to rehabilitate oneself than to attack your successor, all the while denouncing those who engage in the politics of personal destruction?

Reno adopted another Clinton tactic in decrying the current state of affairs while conveniently ignoring her nearly eight-year opportunity to do something about it. She said that false criminal convictions were "the greatest travesty in our society today," including more than 100 false death-penalty cases. "We cannot tolerate it any longer," she chided, failing to add, "now that I'm out of office."

In her defense, it makes sense for her to divert attention from her ailing gubernatorial campaign, which the UPI reports as "collapsing. "A few weeks ago her primary opponent Bill McBride secured the endorsement of the Florida teachers' association and is well on his way to landing the state AFL-CIO nod. Plus, a recent Mason-Dixon poll had Jeb Bush leading Reno 58 percent to 36 percent. Some Democratic party officials lamented that the race "that once looked like the nation's most compelling electoral contest of 2002 now doesn't appear competitive."

But there's even worse news for Reno. An Orlando Sentinel voter survey showed that 59 percent of those surveyed doubt that she can beat Jeb Bush. And get this: "51 percent of the voters have a mostly or very unfavorable impression of Reno." Note: Her negative ratings have increased following her recent crisscrossing of the state, as the Boston Globe reported, "like a rock star on tour, appearing at the state capital, signing autographs and posing for pictures." Commenting on the Mason-Dixon poll, University of Florida analyst Susan McManus confirms the phenomenon of Janet's shrinking — or at least flat — poll numbers being tied to her increased visibility: "The poll is very telling. She's done a lot of traveling around, and it hasn't really helped her numbers." So we should sympathize with her wanting to avoid the subject of her campaign. Maybe she should take it a step further and just stay home for a while and give her unfavorable ratings a chance to subside.

Reno also warned "it is important that we bring people to justice according to the principles of our Constitution." I'm embarrassed to utter the obvious, but I suppose she's referring to the Waco-Elián paradigm, the latter of those twin debacles even Harvard professors Tribe and Dershowitz roundly condemned.

Finally, after observing that "The day we start giving up our freedoms, the bad guys have won," Reno waxed eloquent in advocating such freedom-enhancing liberal programs as universal health care and an ever-increasing federal role in education.

All in all, from the Bush perspective, a great speech.