Will Holder Appointment Hold Up?

In a word, yes.

My pal, Captain Ed, thinks Holder is headed South of the Bus:

The biggest question will be whether Barack Obama wants to have Blagojevich, Rezko, Clinton pardons, and freed terrorists discussed on the national news in connection to his incoming Hope and Change administration. Will he stick with Holder? Or will he wisely decide to find someone less connected to scandals and more interested in Justice than politics? I'd bet the wheels of the bus go thump, thump, thump by Wednesday.

Let me first say that I would love to hear Ed's rendition on the next Kidz Bop CD.

At issue are GOP attempts to make hay out of Holder's part in the Clinton pardons, and a blurry, long-ago sword-crossing with disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. The WaPo article that Ed cites draws a comparison with Alberto Gonzales. If that's the yardstick, Holder is home free.

To be fair, I have the advantage of Barack Obama's This Week interview, but you and Ed will have to take my word for it that this only confirms what I started to write last night. Ed is absolutely right that Obama is too smart to dig his heels in and get sidetracked by a big confirmation battle. So, what does this mean: (begin at 5:23 mark, transcript and commentary after the jump)

STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, you've mentioned Eric Holder. He's coming under some fire on Capitol Hill by the ranking Republican Senate Judiciary Committee Arlen Specter and some others who are worried about just that, that he's not going to be independent. Are you confident he's going to be confirmed?

OBAMA: Yes.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And are you worried at all, troubled at all by the questions that are being asked about his independence, also questions about his involvement in the Marc Rich case?

OBAMA: Oh, I think most of the criticism has revolved around the Marc Rich pardon and he has publicly acknowledged that it was a mistake. George, as you know, if the criteria for somebody being confirmed on a cabinet or being elected president was that they've never made a mistake ...

STEPHANOPOULOS: Nobody would get in.

OBAMA: Nobody would get in. So, you know, here's somebody who's publicly taken responsibility, he said he dropped the ball on that one. Beyond that, though, everybody will acknowledge that you can't find a guy who's more qualified. He was second at the Justice Department, has been a prosecutor, has been a judge, and with respect to the issues of independence, he locked up the most powerful Democrat on the Hill, Dan Rostenkowski. So, I think this is a man of unimpeachable integrity, I have every confidence that he will be confirmed.

I take this to mean that Obama already knows how this will play out. The GOP will make enough noise to satisfy their constituents, then let Holder through. Obama is well aware of that old lawyer's maxim, "Don't ask a question you don't already know the answer to." I think the fix is in.

It makes sense for the Republicans to want to score points on Obama, but as important as it is for Obama to defend the goal, it is doubly important for the weakened GOP to avoid wasting a possession. They're better off taking advantage of the openings they've been given, like Bill Richardson, and wait for a surer thing.

On a sidenote, Captain Ed's blog, Hot Air, is in a neck-and-neck battle with Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish for a 2008 Webbie Award. Since there are no liberal blogs in striking distance, I'd like to urge you all to go and vote for Hot Air. That way, if Ed wins, I can still take credit. You can vote once a day. I do.