Blowing Smoke (on Attorney General John Ashcroft's announcement of intention to settle U.S. Justice Department lawsuit against tobacco industry) Old Yella with his nicotine-stained hands Must feel entitled to make strong demands To get the legal system off his back And keep ill-gotten profits in the black. For campaign dollars are small price to pay To keep a multi-billion suit away. And John Ashcroft is happy to appease, Bush's appointee now empowered to seize The chance to sabotage Bill Clinton's suit And let tobacco giants keep their loot, Who as Attorney General starves for cash The former cause and by pronouncement rash Proposed a settlement as his intention Before his own department had heard mention. This former senator in '98 Had fierce opposed efforts to legislate Against tobacco, and in '99 Tried to derail this lawsuit's main design To sue for fraudulence, the toll on health Exacted by Old Yella's yen for wealth. Thus has the Bush regime its reign begun With scant regard for the American lung. And we are left to beg the vexing question, Unanswered since an infamous election: When righteous causes seem to come unstuck, What deals in smoke-filled rooms are being struck? June 20, 2001