Executioner Ashcroft. We're not making that name up. It's the title of an editorial today in the Boston Globe. The editorial is sharply critical of Ashcroft for overruling his prosecutors and insisting on death penalty prosecutions in cases in which they recommended against it. We've written about this several times, most recently here.

Here's some of what the Globe has to say:

ATTORNEY GENERAL John Ashcroft has given a chilling and misguided command to federal prosecutors in New York and Connecticut: Pursue the death penalty in more cases. Ashcroft selected cases in which prosecutors either did not ask for the death penalty or recommended against it. In one situation, Ashcroft undermined a plea bargain in which a defendant agreed to testify against others if prosecutors did not seek the death penalty. A Justice Department spokesperson said the goal was to have national consistency.

The editorial explains the reasons Ashcroft is wrong to take this route, and concludes,

Ashcroft is headed down another road, apparently having concluded that imposing the death penalty more often will increase its popularity. This is a waste. The country doesn't need a keener taste for capital punishment. It does need better upfront crime prevention. Ultimately, Americans should give up the death penalty. It is not a strong preventive tool. And it offers vengeance when people would be better off with safety and fairness.

If the shoe fits....