Hold Your Horses on Holder

The nomination of Eric H. Holder Jr. for attorney general is likely to be delayed as Senate Judiciary Republicans want to slow the reins on Chairman Patrick J. Leahy , D-Vt, who many Republicans feel is pushing the nomination through too quickly. Furthermore, Congressional Quarterly reports that Sen. John Cornyn , R-Texas, among others, "want Holder to answer follow-up questions they posed after his Jan. 15confirmation hearing before the committee." However, the Huffington Post's Ryan Grim postulates specifically that Cornyn wants Holder to answer whether or not he will prosecute intelligence officials who may have tortured, but were acting in "good faith, based upon their understanding of what the law was."

I'm sure Cornyn has a point, but there is not a debate on whether or not waterboarding is torture or legal. That's a false debate the Bush admin tried to set up in 2007 when it was exposed that CIA officials were using the technique on extrajudicial prisoners. In fact, the United States has a historical record of regarding waterboarding as a war crime, and has prosecuted as war criminals individuals for the use of the practice in the past. So, what the hell is Cornyn talking about?

That Senate Republicans turned blind eyes to the complete incompetence of the likes of Bush's nominees, Michael Mukasey and Alberto Gonzales, Leahy wants to know, "Why the double standard for this person above all others?" Good point - yes?