Social conservatives aren't known for subtlety in pressing for what they want from their political allies. But in sinking Montana's Marc Racicot as George W. Bush's pick for attorney general and replacing him with former Missouri senator John Ashcroft, they operated deftly and quietly behind the scenes. Make no mistake: Governor Racicot was Bush's first choice. Once conservatives advising the transition learned of his tepid record on abortion, gay rights, and other social issues, however, they rebelled, all in the 72 hours before Bush formally announced his nominee. The most active were religious conservatives, both Catholic and Protestant. They recruited pro-life Princeton professor Robert George to draft a paper on Racicot. George's dispatch was on its way in 24 hours to Bush political adviser Karl Rove in Austin. Rove answered many of the complaints, though hardly all, and the dump-Racicot movement grew. In a conference call with Rove, nearly every social conservative on the line turned thumbs down on Racicot. He still probably could have had the job, but facing strong conservative objections decided he didn't want it. Ashcroft, who lost his Senate seat in November to the late Missouri governor Mel Carnahan, was the clear favorite of the religious conservatives. Bush went along, turning out to be more responsive than social conservatives had dreamed possible.