red states rule
06-09-2013, 08:07 AM
David Ignatius can perhaps expect any or all of the following
an IRS audit
a dead fish wrapped in newspaer left in his mailbox
a vist from the Domectic Terrorism unit
his phones tapped
a pink slip left on desk at work
Washington Post columnist (and former reporter) David Ignatius (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-attorney-general-eric-holder-is-not-up-to-the-task/2013/06/07/4975d4ce-cd55-11e2-8f6b-67f40e176f03_story.html) is pushing for a resignation at the center of the Sunday op-ed page. “Attorney General Eric Holder is not up to the task” was the online headline of his column. The newspaper people could only use “A mediocre attorney general.”
It's not the "scandals," said Ignatius. "The problem with Holder is the plain fact that, in the judgment of a wide range of legal colleagues, he has been a mediocre attorney general." At first, Ignatius seemed unhappy because Holder seemed too "conservative" in his choices:
His prosecution of leakers was certainly in the hawkish spirit of a bipartisan anti-leak bill introduced last year by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Democrat who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, which proposed more draconian anti-media measures than anything Holder has done. Justice went with the conservative flow until the leak prosecutions become controversial a few weeks ago — and Holder rediscovered his interest in a shield law....
A strong attorney general articulates clear guidelines for prosecutors, private attorneys and the public. But Holder is criticized for his failure to shape legal policy. One early example was the prosecution of marijuana use after some states had legalized it for medical purposes. Then-Deputy Attorney General David Ogden wrote a memo in October 2009 arguing for a restrained approach; Holder, perhaps afraid of looking too liberal, never followed through. The result was a hodgepodge of different standards around the country.
But Ignatius gave the sense that Holder just didn't have the good sense to make the calls the way a smart Democrat and smart lawyer would:
“Holder substitutes his political judgment for his legal judgment, and his political judgment isn’t very good” is the way one White House official put it to a prominent Washington lawyer recently. That criticism was seconded by a half-dozen other leading Washington lawyers I consulted.
The fact that Holder is close to President Obama isn’t a problem in itself. Robert Kennedy’s brother was president, and he’s regarded as one of the great modern attorneys general. One reason is that RFK recruited the top legal minds of the day to work under him. The same cannot be said of Holder.
Ignatius disliked a whole range of Holder's decisions as a "mess." This is eye-opening because Holder has been barely visible in the news, especially on television. How would the average American know he's had "disastrous" results?
Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2013/06/09/eric-holders-gotta-go-says-washpost-columnist-ignatius#ixzz2Viwq4nFR
an IRS audit
a dead fish wrapped in newspaer left in his mailbox
a vist from the Domectic Terrorism unit
his phones tapped
a pink slip left on desk at work
Washington Post columnist (and former reporter) David Ignatius (http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/david-ignatius-attorney-general-eric-holder-is-not-up-to-the-task/2013/06/07/4975d4ce-cd55-11e2-8f6b-67f40e176f03_story.html) is pushing for a resignation at the center of the Sunday op-ed page. “Attorney General Eric Holder is not up to the task” was the online headline of his column. The newspaper people could only use “A mediocre attorney general.”
It's not the "scandals," said Ignatius. "The problem with Holder is the plain fact that, in the judgment of a wide range of legal colleagues, he has been a mediocre attorney general." At first, Ignatius seemed unhappy because Holder seemed too "conservative" in his choices:
His prosecution of leakers was certainly in the hawkish spirit of a bipartisan anti-leak bill introduced last year by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Democrat who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, which proposed more draconian anti-media measures than anything Holder has done. Justice went with the conservative flow until the leak prosecutions become controversial a few weeks ago — and Holder rediscovered his interest in a shield law....
A strong attorney general articulates clear guidelines for prosecutors, private attorneys and the public. But Holder is criticized for his failure to shape legal policy. One early example was the prosecution of marijuana use after some states had legalized it for medical purposes. Then-Deputy Attorney General David Ogden wrote a memo in October 2009 arguing for a restrained approach; Holder, perhaps afraid of looking too liberal, never followed through. The result was a hodgepodge of different standards around the country.
But Ignatius gave the sense that Holder just didn't have the good sense to make the calls the way a smart Democrat and smart lawyer would:
“Holder substitutes his political judgment for his legal judgment, and his political judgment isn’t very good” is the way one White House official put it to a prominent Washington lawyer recently. That criticism was seconded by a half-dozen other leading Washington lawyers I consulted.
The fact that Holder is close to President Obama isn’t a problem in itself. Robert Kennedy’s brother was president, and he’s regarded as one of the great modern attorneys general. One reason is that RFK recruited the top legal minds of the day to work under him. The same cannot be said of Holder.
Ignatius disliked a whole range of Holder's decisions as a "mess." This is eye-opening because Holder has been barely visible in the news, especially on television. How would the average American know he's had "disastrous" results?
Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2013/06/09/eric-holders-gotta-go-says-washpost-columnist-ignatius#ixzz2Viwq4nFR