Byline: MARK HELM Times Union Washington bureau
WASHINGTON -- A sharply divided Senate confirmed John Ashcroft for attorney general Thursday, with a heavy majority of Democrats voting against his nomination and sending a strong warning to the White House.
Ashcroft won the support of all 50 Senate Republicans and eight Democrats.
After the vote, he promised he would ``confront injustice by leading a professional Justice Department that is free from politics, that is uncompromisingly fair.''
Although they failed to block the nomination, Democratic leaders hailed the 58-42 vote, saying it sent a signal to President Bush to proceed carefully on Supreme Court and other judicial nominations.
By gathering 42 votes, Democrats showed Bush they could get enough votes to sustain a filibuster in the future to try to defeat any hardline conservative nominees, particularly for the high court. It takes 60 votes to end a …
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