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Specter: Holder Could Be Another Gonzo
It doesn't get harsher than that.
In a floor speech today, Arlen Specter, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary committee, suggested that Eric Holder, Barack Obama's nominee for Attorney General, might follow in the footsteps of ... Alberto Gonzales!
The Washington Independent reports that Specter cited several of the attacks that we've heard from GOPers since Holder's nomination was announced -- including the Al Gore "campaign finance violations" of 1996, the Elian Gonzalez case, and the last-minute pardon of Marc Rich.
Then Specter really hit below the belt, declaring:
After our recent experience with Attorney General Gonzales, it is imperative that the Attorney General undertake and effectuate that responsibility of independence. Mr. Gonzales left office accused of politicizing the Justice Department, failing to restrain Executive overreaching, and being less than forthcoming with Congress ... I am convinced that many of Attorney General Gonzales' missteps were caused by his eagerness to please the White House. Similarly, when Mr. Holder was serving as DAG to President Clinton, some of his actions raised concerns about his ability to maintain his independence from the president.
Specter concluded:
I am prepared to give Mr. Holder a full opportunity to explain his past actions and convince the Committee and the Senate that his record warrants confirmation.
As we noted last month, Specter has already tried to throw a hitch into the Holder nomination, ultimately prevailing on Judiciary chair Pat Leahy to postpone Holder's confirmation hearings, citing the need to scrutinize Holder's record -- particularly on the Rich pardon -- more closely.
But comparing Holder to Gonzales surely goes too far.
Josh
Zachary
Can Specter keep Holder from being confirmed ?
January 6, 2009 6:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
LMAO!!! If that managed to happen I will paypal you AT LEAST 100 bucks. It's called "wasting political capital" They are trying to run out the clock on Obama.
January 6, 2009 8:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe the Republicans can stop it. My sense is they've picked Holder as the appointment they're going to fight. Maybe because the Rich pardon is their one shot at tagging Obama with a Clinton scandal, or they hope to reenergize their base by going back to the 90's and the Clinton hunt.
At least if I'm right, sucky as it is for Holder, he'll run interference for other appointments.
January 7, 2009 1:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Arlen is only bold when he knows it doesn't matter.
What a loser.
January 6, 2009 6:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm confused. Specter really liked Gonzo. All that huffing and puffing was just for show. Everyone knew that. So, is this a super-double hypocrisy?
January 6, 2009 6:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wha??? Specter really liked Gonzo? I don't think so. Check these out:
Specter tells Gonzo that he "defies common sense"
Putting a man to death
Authority as Attorney General
January 6, 2009 8:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Where was all this outrage when Gonzo was being Gonzo?
January 6, 2009 7:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Arlen "Magic Bullet" Specter. Please retire already. Spend time with your family while you can.
January 6, 2009 7:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Arlen Specter, the chief enabler of the GOP Senate for 6 years, who occasionally talked tough but always voted like a White House sycophant -
Exactly why would anyone listen to him since he has no power to do anything? He will be outvoted on every bill going through the Judicial committee, unless he himself decides to side with the sane people.
No, Specter was THE main enabler - THE man who by himself could have stopped the illegalities, if he had only had even one, even semi-atrophied, gonad.
No, we don't need to listen to the man who allowed Bush to say, "Well, the Congress agreed it was okay."
In reality, if there is ONE member of the Senate who is most culpable for Bush's crimes against humanity, it is Specter. So, you have to think that Specter is shi_ting in his pants at the idea that Holder doesn't like torturers.
I think he'd look pretty good in stripes, myself.
.
January 6, 2009 7:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Specter disgraces himself yet again.
Chris Matthews for the US Senate.
January 6, 2009 7:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
Arlen specter is an idiot and has been since his nonsensical magic bullet theory, however, Chris Matthews is a complete moron. The only senate he becomes in is a senate in Iraq.
January 6, 2009 7:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
You may not agree with Matthews on any number of issues, but he is hardly a moron, and given that he has been a vocal opponent of the war for years, I have no clue what your comment means.
January 6, 2009 8:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Your facts are wrong, Chris Matthews became a critic of the war when the war started to go bad. He was a cheerleader for it from the start. Google his program from 2002-2003, you will see a very different Chris Matthews. Additionally, Chris Matthews despises everything Clinton that he when out of his way to not only try to destroy Hillary, he did worst to Al Gore in 2000. Just the facts and the don't lie.
January 6, 2009 8:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
No my facts aren't wrong. I said that Matthews opposed the war "for years", not since the beginning, and that is accurate.
So the only person whose facts are wrong is you.
Frank Rich smeared Gore even worse, as did much of the MSM. If that is a per se disqualifer for you, fine. It's not for me.
btw, If you want to use Google to buttress your point, provide a link.
January 6, 2009 9:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
yeah, yer facts are wrong
tweety is a cackling moran
and THAT'S a fact
you can support the sniveling suckup if you want, but you can't deny that tweety is an "Any Way The Wind Blows" spineless idiot
January 6, 2009 10:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
im willing to send Chris some cash now
what a crock of the brown stuff that lines specter's head
January 6, 2009 8:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sen Specter obviously is thinking only of the 2010 Repubican primary.
January 6, 2009 8:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Specter: Holder Could Be Another Gonzo"
And Arlen could be another Republican damn fool!
January 6, 2009 8:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
well, at the very least sen. specter should vote to confirm holder. after all, he voted to confirm gonzo.
January 6, 2009 8:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did Specter forget his enabling with the U.S. Attorney loophole? http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/002487.php
We need to get a good Dem. candidate in place (and early!) to drive Specter out of here like we did with Rick Santorum. :)
January 6, 2009 8:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Taking Specter seriously for a moment, the Rich case doesn't show Holder bowing to Clinton pressure. It shows his offhand remark (neutral leaning favorable) being blown out of proportion by Republicans eager to fry fish.
Specter has basically given Holder the "test questions". Holder simply answers them before the hearings leaving Specter with nothing else to ask.
January 6, 2009 8:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Regardless of Specter's obvious lack of credibility, I have serious concerns about Holder myself. When he was with Clinton he was a drug warrior and anything but a civil libertarian. Times have changes and I hope he has as well. But I think questions should be asked (though probably not the questions Specter has in mind.)
January 6, 2009 8:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
Duh! It's all about seeing if there is any political capital to be gained by bringing up old Clinton GOP-favorite topics and trying to embarras Obama. When the GOP is in the minority, they are the worst spoiled little crybabies.
Too bad they aren't more like the lifeless waste-of-space Dems when they are the minority and don't fight back.
January 6, 2009 9:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree with wbgonne, there are a lot of questions about Holder that ought to be answered. What he's been doing these last eight years at Covington, for instance. It has been reported that Holder through Covington has been helping anti-union forces in Colombia, among other not so savory activities. Remember, Covington folks wrote and got passed for Bacardi the anti-Cuba legislation that has thwarted reasonable relations between the two countries for years. Holder chose to become part of that family. I'm sure that's not what Specter wants to ask about, but I'd like to know.
January 6, 2009 9:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
There should be a fair hearing on Holder. The AG is a pivotal position and one that should have an independent lawyer that can do the job. But, let's not kid ourselves: Holder is extremely bright. He's had a pretty solid history of work inside of government and outside of it. He's a great pick, on the surface.
We should check out what happened -- again -- with Rich (though the 2001 Congress did this already) and we should revisit what he's been doing these last eight years. But, on the surface, this guy is solid.
January 6, 2009 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
And tell me, why exactly would I as an American citizen really need deep introspection to a presidential pardon from 8 years ago when Holder was an assistant at the AG office? You must be joking ...
January 7, 2009 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
As a Pa resident thats had to put up with this two-faced ass for decades, he better be careful. He's facing brutal primary challenges and a real pissed off blue state that's had enough of his moderate press conference followed by bush bootlicking for the last eight years. I would be the most moderate gooper swine in history were I Specter.
January 6, 2009 11:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, time for me to make yet another phone call to Arlen's local office to leave yet another complaining message that will be entirely ignored.
I'd better have someone to vote for other than Matthews and Magic Bullethead in '10.
I'm not saying Holder's the perfect candidate, but Arlen can't seem to get it out of his head that "ranking member" of the judiciary committee does NOT equal "chairman." It's beyond time for him to pack it in.
January 7, 2009 6:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'd like to be kind to Specter for obvious reasons. But he makes it very hard.
January 7, 2009 2:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Of course, Specter did vote to confirm Gonzales for AG, despite his misgivings.
January 7, 2009 8:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
The worst part of this story is how Specter convinced Leahy to postpone Holder's confirmation hearing.
Pat Leahy is a pathetic excuse for a committee chairman. When he's not busy writing impotent letters in response to be being spat upon by the Bush White House he's busy allowing the ranking member to tell him what to do.
I wonder what Specter would say about holding up a Bush apointee's hearing if the roles were reversed?
The signs show that, even with substantial electoral majorities, we can expect the same old wimpy, weak Democratic Party leadership.
January 7, 2009 9:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Hit Specter with a bat. A whiffle bat. Those really sting it you swing them fast enough.
January 7, 2009 9:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
I for one, find the specter of Arlen being hit with a whiffle bat grotesquely torturous. Now, water boarding, on the other hand….All the Pugs say it’s just like baptism…!
January 7, 2009 9:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
Are we sure he's not impaired in some way?
January 7, 2009 10:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
"comparing Holder to Gonzales surely goes too far"
how so?
you would expect the nomination to be praised by the senior republican on the committee
he has a role to play in nomination ritual
politicians speak publically for the record
spector chose to talk about the independence of the attorney general
comparing holder to gonzo
everyone knows this is a silly comparison
wanting the traditional margin of political independence of previous attorney's general is an acceptable thought
don't cha think?
January 7, 2009 10:43 AM | Reply | Permalink
That explains why the GOP is so afraid of Holder..they are afraid he will go after them, like Gonzo (and Rove) went after the Democrats....I would laugh my ass off...!
Maybe Specter didn't like Gonzo..but Gonzo is a Republican..and just like any body on the Republican side..hypocracy, irony, double standards, party loyalty (over country) and partisan politics... are all that really count, in the end
January 7, 2009 12:54 PM | Reply | Permalink