U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft yesterday launched a two-week PR campaign to defend the controversial Patriot Act which has come under intense criticism. In a speech yesterday at the American Enterprise Institute, Ashcroft presented himself as a preserver of liberty and freedom in the United States. He spoke before a backdrop that read “Preserving Life and Liberty.” He quoted the Gettysberg address. He announced the launching of a new website that prominently quotes the Declaration of Independence. And he ended his speech by saying “as long as there is an America, liberty must not, will not, shall not perish from the earth.”

Meanwhile critics continued to attack Ashcroft and the Patriot Act.

Laura Murphy of the ACLU said, “The problem is this government has decided to allow the FBI to search our homes without telling us, to seize our library records even when it’s not remotely related to criminal activity.

Georgetown Law Professor David Cole said of Ashcroft’s tour “The fact that they need to do this shows how much public opinion has shifted on this issue.”

But the Justice Department dismissed the criticism.

Department spokeswoman Barbara Comstock, while wearing a t-shirt that read “Freedom” said the criticism is coming from “small vocal minority” who are spreading misinformation.

Last month the House voted 309 to 118 to scale back portions of the Patriot Act. More than 150 towns and cities have passed resolutions condemning the Patriot Act.