Holder: Judiciary Committee Republicans ‘Soiled Themselves’
After one of the most combative confirmation hearings in recent memory, political pundits and analysts from both sides of the aisle are mostly in agreement that Eric Holder, as several put it, “today blew whatever chance he may have had to be confirmed as our next Attorney General.”
The real reason for the delay in a vote by the Judiciary Committee was not made clear until last Friday afternoon when, just in time for normally high profile weekend news coverage, Committee Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) issued a press release on his website criticizing his Republican colleagues for the delay, saying, among other things, that “Republicans on the Judiciary Committee have asked Eric Holder to make a commitment, before he is even confirmed, that he will not prosecute any Bush Administration officials for their involvement in acts of torture during the last administration.” (To see full press release, click here.)
When asked for a response to their request, a defiant Holder told the Committee:
“I am shocked that you would suggest any law enforcement official make a prosecutorial decision without first examining the relevant facts of the case. I find your request to be as reprehensible as it is unconscionable. The only evidence I have seen thus far would compel me, whether confirmed or not, to seek indictments against those committee members who, for strictly partisan reasons, have attempted to obstruct justice even before the two hallowed ceremonies when the next Attorney General will be sworn in. You have soiled the Justice Department, you have soiled the good name of this Committee, and from the way many of you are squirming, I also believe you have soiled more than just your own reputations.”
At this point, ranking Republican Member Arlen Specter requested a recess. Shortly after the Committee retired to chambers, aides were dispatched to, “retrieve items including 2 inhalers, 4 coated aspirins, 6 Tylenol gelcaps, 8 Valium tablets, and 8 pairs of men’s boxer shorts,” according to a Committee staffer.
One dissenting voice, however, believes that, “Holder’s bold action all but ensures his swift confirmation.” New York based political analyst and saxophone player Arthur ‘Big Cat’ Davis explained, “Now that he has called their bluff, they’re in a very tough spot. There is very little chance of getting any prospective future nominee to go along with such a precondition, and I wouldn’t think they’d try. It’s my guess that they will withdraw their request, apologize to Mr. Holder, confirm him as early as Wednesday, and hope he’ll let bygones be bygones. Remember, these are United States Senators. Given a choice between helping their former leader, their friends, and their colleagues, or saving their own butts, we know what we can expect them to do.”
“The fact that such a request was even made doesn’t bode well for former President Bush and key members of his administration,” according to Harvard Law Professor Christopher Toomey, “To put it in laymen’s terms, it’s comparable to a husband’s best friend telling his wife, ‘Of course he’s been honest and faithful to you. Now promise me that you won’t follow him tomorrow…’ What do they expect people to believe?”
The Desperate Blogger 