I am greatly shocked and disheartened at the reaction from the left here at Penn State and across the country to the nomination of John Ashcroft for attorney general.

The constant attacks and misrepresentations on his record and character are downright wrong.

All of the emphasis on the Ronnie White nomination case has distracted most people from the real facts.

Senator Ashcroft supported 26 of the 28 African Americans nominated to the federal bench by the Clinton-Gore Administration.

All 26 nominees that Ashcroft supported were confirmed by the Senate.

That doesn't sound like much of a racist, now does it?

I also do not understand the great outcry about a "staunch conservative" such as Ashcroft being nominated.

The facts are that the Republicans, a conservative party, won the presidency. Why should the winners be subject to every whim and complaint of the losing party?

I think the President-elect has done a very good job in having diversity in his cabinet in order to promote bipartisanship.

However, the Democrats don't seem to realize that diversity means that the conservative viewpoint must also be represented in the cabinet.

If the Democrats truly support bipartisanship in Washington under the new administration, they must realize that it is a two-way road.

If the Democrats come to the table thinking that bipartisanship means the Republicans bow to every demand, the Democrats, and no one else, will be to blame for the demise of bipartisanship under this administration.