Not that I'm surprised

Got a reply today from Senator Durbin, in response to my attempt to convince him to vote against Holder's confirmation for AG. Being a U.S. Senator, his response wasn't exactly "Up yours," but the message was pretty similar (except in length).

Dear Mr. Hofmann:

Thank you for contacting me about the nomination of Eric Holder to be Attorney General. I appreciate hearing from you.

Over the last eight years, the Department of Justice has garnered a reputation for placing political interests above principle. At this time in our nation's history, we urgently need to restore the Justice Department to its rightful role as the protector of our laws and to renew America's faith in our system of justice. I believe Eric Holder has the experience, independence, and character to do just that.

Early in his career, Eric Holder spent ten years with the Department of Justice, prosecuting corrupt public officials of both parties. He was nominated by President Reagan to serve as a Superior Court judge and filled that position until he was nominated by President Clinton to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. In 1997, Mr. Holder was unanimously confirmed by the United State Senate to serve as Deputy Attorney General and held that position until early 2001 when he briefly served as Acting Attorney General.

Throughout his years of public service at the Justice Department, Mr. Holder showed a penchant for independence. As Deputy Attorney General, he advised Attorney General Reno to broaden the authority of independent counsel Ken Starr. Mr. Starr's investigation ultimately led to President Clinton's impeachment. Mr. Holder also recommended the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate President Clinton's Interior Secretary, Bruce Babbitt.

Mr. Holder's experience, independence, and character have garnered support for his nomination from a variety of law enforcement organizations including the National Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, the National District Attorneys Association, and the National Sheriffs' Association. He also is supported by many former Justice Department officials including Larry Thompson and James Comey, who both served as Deputy Attorney General under President George W. Bush; William Barr, who served as Attorney General under President George H. W. Bush; and former FBI Director Louis Freeh.

I appreciate hearing your views about this important nomination. Thank you again for your message. Please feel free to keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Durbin

United States Senator

Frankly, I would have been shocked by any other response from a hardcore statist like Durbin, but I had to try.

Shifting gears a bit here, but still speaking of hardcore statists (from Illinois) in Congress, David Codrea wrapped up his analysis of Congressman Bobby Rush's egregious H.R. 45 today. Yep--this bill is so bad that it took four days to explore everything wrong with it. If you haven't read them, here are each of his pieces, in order--consider them to be must read material.

'Qualifying firearms'
Kill (the) bill
Kill (the) bill - volume two
Kill (the) bill - volume three