Specter Picks A Fight Over Holder

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_12/016012.php

SPECTER PICKS A FIGHT OVER HOLDER.... Josh Marshall noted last night that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) "never stops breaking new ground in the contest of political opportunism poseurish chest-thumping."

Ain't that the truth.



Specter can ask his questions. He can (and has) met with Holder privately; he can (and has) requested information and documentation well in advance of the hearings; and he can (and will) pester Holder with as many inconvenient questions as possible during the hearings themselves.

But Specter seems to want a delay just for the sake of grandstanding. Based on the schedule Leahy has in mind, Specter has a month to get the information he feels he needs, and then two weeks to badger Holder. Why wait until Jan. 26 for hearings? Because Specter wants to drag this out for maximum partisan exploitation? Because he wants to re-litigate an eight-year-old controversy to score some cheap points in preparation for a Republican primary in Pennsylvania? Please.

To his credit, Leady seems more annoyed than persuaded by Specter's whining. Indeed, in a "Dear Arlen" letter yesterday, the Judiciary Committee chairman noted Specter began reviewing Holder's record weeks ago, and didn't have concerns about the calendar at the time. Leahy also reminded Specter of recent history on Attorney General confirmation hearings, and why the committee schedule is entirely reasonable.

Stay tuned.
—Steve Benen

Leahy's response here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=4626727&mesg_id=4626727

Who was voted out because of going along with the peace initiative of the Summer of '00.

""There are questions which have to be inquired," Specter, a former Philadelphia district attorney, said."

who defended death squads and thinks "Reefer Madness" was true. Sorry to burst your bubble but not every pick Obama makes is a guarnteed Golden Boy. You sound as defensive about him being asked questions as KKKarl Rove is answering a subpeona. Why do you want to keep Holder in a bubble to protect him? What problem does it present to you to have all the information available? What exactly are you afraid of?

Go ahead and support Specter trying to throw a wrench in the confirmation hearings. I won't ever be agreeing with you.

And fyi, your dislike of Holder means absolutely nothing.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/19/holder-justice-issues/

Eric Holder: A Rebuke Of Bush-League Justice»


The New York Times reports today that President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team “signaled to Eric H. Holder Jr., a senior official in the Justice Department in the Clinton administration, that he will be chosen as attorney general.” While the Obama transition team denied that Holder has been selected, many progressives see Holder as a strong rebuke of the Bush Justice Department.

Glenn Greenwald — a consistent and vocal critic of the Bush Justice Department — writes that Holder’s views seem “rather unconstrained for Washington, suggestive of actual passion and conviction on these matters.” Digby writes similarly, “If {Holder} follows through…it would be good news.”

ThinkProgress has compiled Holder’s stated views on critical issues confronting the next Attorney General, including the Bush administration’s politicization of the Justice Department and the War on Terror:

On Role Of Attorney General: “The attorney general is the one Cabinet member who’s different from all the rest. The attorney general serves first the people, but also serves the president. There has to be a closeness at the same time there needs to be distance.”

On Torture: “The notion that the Department of Justice would in essence sanction the use of torture as part of the President’s plenary power over military operations is as wrong as it is shortsighted. This position flies in the face of the entire history of American law, helping to create a climate in which unnecessarily abusive conduct can somehow be considered legitimate.”

“We must declare without qualification that it is the law, policy, and practice of the United States government that we do not torture people and we do not subject people to cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment.”

On Closing Guantanamo: “Guantanamo Bay is an international embarassment. Some of our closest allies see this prison as a symbol of what America has become. We should close Guantanamo Bay, transfer the remaining prisoners to military prisons in the United States.”

On Extraordinary Rendition: “We must end all U.S. government practice and programs, covert or otherwise, that transfer individuals involuntarily to other countries that are known to engage in torture.”

On Indefinite Detentions Of Non-U.S. Citizen Terror Suspects: “It seems to me you can think of these people as combatants and we are in the middle of a war, and it seems to me that you could probably say, looking at precedent, that you are going to detain these people until war is over, if that is ultimately what we wanted to do.”

On Warentless Wiretapping: “I never thought I would see that a President would act in direct defiance of Federal law by authorizing warentless NSA surveillance of American citizens. This disrespect for the rule of law is not only wrong it destructive in our struggle against terrorism.”

On U.S. Attorney Scandal: “‘Internally, there is a morale problem the likes of which I have never seen before,’ Holder said. ‘Externally, there is a crisis of confidence that the nation has with regard to the department.’”

On Politicization Of Justice Department: “Holder said Mukasey ‘has to move swiftly and tangibly in order to restore faith in the integrity of the decision making at Justice. He has to show that he, not political operatives at the White House, is making the calls at Justice.’”

On Scooter Libby Sentencing: “he sentence Libby got, it was a little farther than I would have gone.”

and even bolded portions so i am so very sorry to hold you to the words you put up...

discussion. Got a problem with that? I have a problem with you and your filthy mouth calling out DUers.

He didn't even defend Chiquita. He represented them in negotiating an agreement with the Justice Dept. That's not just splitting hairs. It's a bif deal. And Holder's career encompasses far more (some good, some not so good) than this one case.

he minimized the finacial payout to victims of the death squads that Chaquita sent to kill men women and children who simply wanted the same right to collective bargain as we used to have here? Oh yeah, so much better...

And yeah, it's much better. And I know it's a real shocker, but attorneys often represent unsavory people.

and yet go on to castigate and shriek at people about something you just admitted you have no fucking clue about? And how is it "better" in any sense? yeah, you really are pathetic.

I wasn't privy to exactly what constituted his representation. That would be privilaged, einstein. And sorry, pumpkin, I'm not the one shrieking or flailing about. That would be you, dear.

As for answering any question from you, after your abusive bullshit, no thanks, I prefer to simply laugh at you. That's all you're good for. But hey, it's something.

:rofl:

change you can see (incrementally)

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Thanks for the typo...

(you even admitted as much above) and we know he believes in things as real as faires and the Man in the Moon...

did so. He represented an unsavory client. Lawyers do that.

I'll give you this: You are extremely hard-working in letting everyone know that there is nothing--NOTHING--that he had done that can be criticized.

I have no problem with rational and factual criticism of Obama. I do it myself. I criticize his Afghanistan policy, for instance.

Mostly, I just hate stupid. And deciding that representing a contemptible client is the sum of Eric Holder, is plain old vanilla stupid.

:grr:

a good long look at hhis defense of death squads and desire to keep filling our prisons with non-violent people to create a slave class should be looked into as well.

will write a strongly worded memo to someone...

as little as possible. I lasted about six months in one of those and it drove me up a wall.

ignorant or if you're just intend on smearing. Holder never defended death squads. that's blatantly untrue. He represented Chiquita after they were found culpable in employing a death squad (and an organization that the U.S. had on its terrorist list) in negotiating a settlement.

And yes, of course Holder wants to create a slave class. :eyes:

lol. you've lost it. And I'm enjoying your pathetic tantrum. In fact, it amuses me.

:rofl:

is it the numbers that confuses you or is it honesty?

being picky over a mistaken name, and in this very thread! You're such a hypocrite, it's fun to toy with you. Sorry, I don't read every time stamp. And I'll bet that's true of most folks here.