A New Law Man in Town: Eric Holder --- the First African American AG --- Confirmed (News Round-Up)

by Damozel | The New York Times reports:

The Senate voted overwhelmingly Monday evening to confirm Eric H. Holder Jr. to be the new attorney general of the United States. The vote was 75 to 21, with all the votes against the nomination coming from Republicans.

Why did the Republicans fight his confirmation?  "At one time, Republicans indicated that they wanted to give Mr. Holder a rough confirmation ride to signal their political viability at a time when Democrats control the White House and both houses of Congress."  (NYT)  In other words, they opposed his confirmation just for the sake of feeling relevant, poor things.  The Washington Post (via) refers to the 21 who opposed his confirmation as a "small, but vocal group":

To be fair, "[a] significant number of Republicans disagreed and, along with all of the Democrats, cast their votes with the nominee."  (WaPo)   The Raw Story has the roster of the aforesaid "small, but vocal" minority.  You won't find it surprising or anything.

The no votes, according to the official count, were Senators Barrasso (R-WY), Brownback (R-KS), Bunning (R-KY), Burr (R-NC), Coburn (R-OK), Cochran (R-MS), Cornyn (R-TX), Crapo (R-ID), DeMint (R-SC), Ensign (R-NV), Enzi (R-WY), Hutchison (R-TX), Inhofe (R-OK), Johanns (R-NE), McConnell (R-KY), Risch (R-ID), Roberts (R-KS), Shelby (R-AL), Thune (R-SD), Vitter (R-LA) and Wicker (R-MS).

In fact, quite a few prominent Republicans and a number of law enforcement officials backed the confirmation.

Holder's advocates marshaled critical support from a broad base of federal and state law enforcement groups as well as a bipartisan coalition of former Justice Department leaders, including onetime deputy attorney general James B. Comey, former FBI director Louis J. Freeh and President George W. Bush's terrorism and homeland security adviser Frances Fragos Townsend.

By all accounts, Holder is among the most credentialed lawyers ever to become attorney general. He began his career as a public corruption prosecutor before serving as U.S. attorney in the District and as a Superior Court judge. Holder later operated as second in command at the Justice Department during the later years of the Clinton administration.(WaPo)

Sen. Leahy said that the confirmation was a fulfillment of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream that everyone should be judged by the content of their character. (via)

The confirmation took place after the usual grueling hearing. 

Sen. Arlen Specter (the Senate Judiciary's ranking Republican) ---who I have admired for his relentless questioning of Bush administration policy at the DoJ (and whose name does not appear on the above-cited list of "no" votes) --- did apparently rough up Holder over the Marc Rich thing, prompting a "testy" exchange.

During confirmation hearings, Republicans questioned his role in former President Bill Clinton's widely criticized last-minute pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich and questioned whether he would be independent of the White House. Holder had a testy exchange with the Senate Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican, Arlen Specter, who questioned Holder's "fitness" for the office.

Holder shot back that Specter was "getting close to the line in questioning my integrity," and Specter ultimately supported the nomination. But Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Kentucky, cited the pardons and what he called Holder's insufficient support for gun rights in opposing the nomination.

"Mr. Holder is supportive of old ideas for gun control that have never made people safer at the expense of taking away their rights," Bunning said. (CNN)

Leahy, one of Holder's backers-in-chief --- and one of the Democrats' strongest critics of the Bush administration's policy in the DoJ --- expressed displeasure with criticism levelled against Holder during the confirmation hearings.

During the confirmation hearing, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) scolded Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) after several Republicans demanded Holder pledge he would not prosecute US interrogators who followed the Bush administration's orders to torture prisoners.

"No one should be seeking to trade a vote for such a pledge," said the Vermont Democrat.(The Raw Story)

Leahy.  You gotta love him.

Leahy pointed out that the chamber's Republican membership backed Bush administration Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who was forced out in late 2007. The GOP also did not condemn the former president's commutation of the prison term facing ex-White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who was convicted of obstructing justice and lying to federal agents probing the 2003 disclosure of a CIA agent's identity.

"I don't recall any Republicans objecting to that," said Leahy, D-Vermont. "Instead, they're objecting to something President Clinton did. I don't want to suggest in any way that the objections are partisan, but they certainly aren't consistent." (CNN; emphasis added)

I don't want to suggest that either, so I won't.  Leahy said:

"The need for new leadership at the Department of Justice is as critical today as it's ever been," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman  Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.). "This confirmation is going to do a great deal to restore the morale and the purpose throughout the department."(WaPo)

He also said:

“That strong, bipartisan vote in favor was a statement that members from both sides of the aisle recognize that Mr. Holder has the character, integrity and independence to be Attorney General....It is a statement that we all want to restore the integrity and competence of the Justice Department and to restore another critical component — the American people’s confidence in federal law enforcement.” (NYT)

Sen. Feingold (D-WI) said;

"The confirmation of Eric Holder as our new Attorney General is a momentous day for the rule of law...During his confirmation hearings, Eric Holder clearly and unequivocally stated that no one, including the president, is above the law. Those were welcome words after eight years of Bush Administration policies that undermined our Constitution and damaged the integrity of the Department of Justice."

Pam Spaulding at Pam's House Blend notes that the talented Holder has got his work cut out for him straight from the get-go.

We have our first black AG, and he's an advocate of civil rights for all. We'll actually have an Attorney General who isn't in favor of out-of-control lawlessness as well. Now he's got to undo the work of Gonzo.(The Raw Story)

Talk about cleaning out the Augean stables.   Hercules, or Heracles, didn't know when he was well off.

More at Memeorandum.

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