Holder Pledges Humility and Vigilance
Holder told the Committee that he "cherishes" the Justice Department and will work in the coming years to "restore" its "credibility" and independence, to "reinvigorate" its "traditional missions" of fighting domestic crime, and to "use every available tactic" under the Constitution to defeat terrorists at home and abroad.
Before the questioning began, the hearing had the feeling of a coronation and not an inquisition. For example, John Warner, the just-recently-retired Republican senator from Virginia, introduced Holder to his former colleagues, declared his support for the nominee and acknowledged that Holder had made (and then learned from) past mistakes in public office.
"Who hasn't made mistakes?" Warner rhetorically asked the Committee. It was a poignant point at an opportune time given the current president's infamous refusal for many years to acknowledge his own grievous errors of judgment. Holder is simply "a good man," Warner told the Committee, before urging the Senate to grant President-elect Barack Obama great deference in his choice of the nation's top law enforcement official.
Early on in the hearing, before any of the politicians began to make their speeches, there were a few moments of partisan bickering between Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) over the length of time given by the Democrats to the Republicans to prepare for the hearing. Sen. Specter said he had wanted more time. Sen. Leahy said that Holder has already been confirmed three times by the Senate. Soon, with the cameras off them, the two old friends and lions in winter were laughing and smiling at one another. Ah, Senate politics. Meanwhile, a few dozen men and women in the audience, some dressed in pink and some in orange jumpsuits, silently and politely held up signs that read: "Restore Rule of Law" and "Prosecute Bush Crimes."