Attorney General Nominee's Encouraging Words

Maybe I'm a little bit like a guy getting his first drink of water after being stranded in the desert, but after eight years of watching the anti-constitutional abuses of the Bush administration -- and with most of those coming from the Justice Department -- it was great to hear some of the words spoken yesterday when President-elect Barack Obama introduced Eric Holder as his nominee for Attorney General.

"Let me be clear: the Attorney General serves the American people," said Obama on Monday, in drawing a clear distinction with George W. Bush, who believes the head of the Justice Department works for him personally. "And I have every expectation that Eric will protect our people, uphold the public trust, and adhere to our Constitution."

And here's Holder in some brief comments after being introduced by Obama:

"The Department of Justice plays a unique role on this team. It is incumbent upon those of us who lead the department to ensure not only that the nation is safe, but also that our laws and traditions are respected. There is not a tension between those two. We can and we must ensure that the American people remain secure and that the great Constitutional guarantees that define us as a nation are truly valued.

"For example, working with Republicans and Democrats in Congress, should I be confirmed, we look forward to actually structuring policies that are both protective and consistent with who we are as a nation."

So we can be a secure, law-abiding nation while not trampling our Constitution… What a concept, huh? Here's video of Holder's remarks:



On the most basic level, this is already sounding like change I can believe in.