AG candidates face Marion Democrats

The two Democrats vying for Attorney General met Monday night to address the Marion County Democrats, answering a slew of pre-submitted questions, and then entertaining a broad range of questions from the audience.

John Kroger, a law professor from Lewis and Clark, and his opponent, State Rep. Greg Macpherson, D-Lake Oswego, outlined their top priorities in opening statements, which included confronting the meth epidemic in the state, protecting gay rights, and enforcing environmental regulations.

Kroger, who has described his perception of the state Attorney General's role as substantially broader than has traditionally been seen, hammered the Bush administration on several fronts, and suggested the Justice Department should be used to aggressively challenge Washington policy.

In response to an audience question about the Patriot Act, Kroger bluntly denounced the legislation.

"As a former federal prosecutor, I think the next administration should completely scrap the Patriot Act, and start over," he said, arguing that the law had been cynically pushed through in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks when fear and blind patriotism were the prevailing sentiments on Capitol Hill.

Macpherson, however, seemed to hold a slightly narrower view of the AG's powers.

"The role of the state Attorney General is to protect the civil rights of Oregonians," said Macpherson, the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. "We cannot change federal law as Attorney General, but we can stand up for the positions and rights of Oregonians, so in areas like the Patriot Act, the Death with Dignity Law, and medical marijuana, we need to push back a little bit."