The Senate voted to confirm Eric Holder as the first African-American attorney general Monday.
FOXNews.com
Monday, February 02, 2009
WASHINGTON -- Former federal judge Eric Holder won Senate confirmation Monday as the nation's first black attorney general after supporters from both parties spoke of his ideal resume and easily overcame some Republican objections over what they considered his insufficient commitment to fight terror and his support for gun control.
The vote was 75-21.
Holder's chief supporter, Sen. Patrick Leahy, said the confirmation was a fulfillment of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream that everyone should be judged by the content of their character.
"Come on the right side of history," Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, told reluctant senators.
Holder becomes the only black in President Barack Obama's Cabinet. Three other African-Americans were named to top administration positions but are not Cabinet secretaries.
Holder was a federal prosecutor, judge and the No. 2 Justice Department official in the administration of former President Bill Clinton. Even his critics agreed that Holder was well-qualified, but they questioned his positions and independence.
The debate turned partisan in its first moments, when Leahy expressed anger that a few Republicans demanded a pledge from Holder that he would not prosecute intelligence agents who participated in harsh interrogations.
Senate Confirms Holder as Attorney General - First 100 Days of Presidency - Politics FOXNews.com
ANOTHER ENTITLEMENT BY OBAMA?????