Walter Shapiro says in USA Today that John Edwards is the most anti-Ashcroft Democrat in the presidential nomination race:

...the Democrat who devotes the most energy and passion to challenging the Ashcroft record is John Edwards. On a supporter's front lawn in Waverly last week, Edwards dramatically switched gears in his stump speech to announce, "I want to say this to everyone here who is supporting me or thinking of supporting me. If you think what I'm about to say is wrong or dangerous, you should be for somebody else — don't be for me."

All this was intended to whet the appetite of his audience for what would come next. Edwards thundered, "I want to say this loud and clear: We cannot in this effort to fight this war on terrorism allow people like John Ashcroft to take away our rights, our freedoms."

....when it comes to battling Ashcroft, Edwards boasts a credibility that his rivals lack. As a veteran of North Carolina courtrooms, he instinctively grasps the legal implications of military tribunals and the government's claimed right to declare American citizens to be "enemy combatants." The only Democratic hopeful on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Edwards has been adept in his aggressive questioning of Ashcroft during the attorney general's rare appearances on Capitol Hill.

Next stop on Ashcroft's Patriot Act tour: Salt Lake City, Monday. At least one protest is planned.

Both of Salt Lake City's daily newspapers have criticized the sweeping measure that gives the Justice Department broad investigation powers. Libertarians have protested at the state Capitol -- twice. And Tuesday, K-Talk radio host Barbara Jean Whitely and others plan to ask the Salt Lake City Council to join more than 150 local governments and three states that have adopted resolutions condemning the act. A protest is planned for Monday outside the hotel where the attorney general is scheduled to speak.