We were JUSTIFIABLY outraged when Bush's AGs selectively executed the laws of the U.S.

[scheming daemons]

Imagine a scenario where John Ashcroft would have decided to NOT prosecute abortion clinic vandals because he thought the law was stupid.

..or imagine a scenario where Alberto Gonzalez decided that newly naturalized American citizens didn't have to have their voting rights protected because he thought the law sucked.


An Attorney General takes an oath to uphold ALL of the laws of the United States, not just the ones that the majority of his party's constituents agree with.


Eric Holder didn't write the federal statutes against Marijuana. He probably doesn't agree with them, but it doesn't really matter if he did.

He's the United States Attorney General. Until the United States congress changes the law, or the United States Supreme Court overturns the law, he is bound by his oath of office to uphold the law.... the righteousness of the law (or lack thereof) is not his concern, and it shouldn't be.

Most people think Marijuana should be legal. I'm one of those people.

But I don't want the executive branch of my nation to pick and choose what laws they wish to uphold. We had enough of that shit during Bush's years.

We can't have Attorney Generals selectively upholding the law. That's banana republic bullshit. That's Bush-era bullshit.



yes... I know that Holder has been inconsistent, since he hasn't gone after the Bush administration for torture. And he deserves criticism for that and that's fine.



But we can't applaud when he follows his sworn duty in the Arizona immigration situation and then get upset when he does the same thing in California concerning marijuana.

Whether we, as Democrats/Progressives/Liberals agree with a law is immaterial to the Attorney General's job.


He's not ALLOWED to be subjective here. And that's the way it should be.

[Hekate]

1. Kick and Rec for uncommon sense and sanity

[readmoreoften]

6. "Sense and sanity" sure make for great subject lines.

But you're crafting fantasies out of thin air. The Obama Administration is responsible for the Obama Administration's decisions. Enough is enough.

[tkmorris]

2. Stop it. Really. Just stop.

ALL Attorney Generals selectively prosecute based on the politics of the person in the position and more importantly, the politics of who appointed them. They issue statements, they argue, they sabre rattle, they threaten, cajole and plead, all based on politics. I know you want to portray Holders hands as tied but it's bullshit. They aren't. He will do what he wants to do, and more importantly, what Obama wants him to do. If he takes a hard line on Cali's marijuana laws it's because that's what Obama WANTS him to do, not because his hands are tied and he has no choice. I find your machinations to be just a tad embarrassing. If Holder says it or does it it's because Obama wants him to. You really need to deal with that.

[readmoreoften]

4. + 1,000,000 Thank you.

[tsuki]

3. BS. Holder has done nothing to hold the banksta gangstas or the

war criminals accountable. That's real banana republic bullshit.

[dmosh42]

5. I agree. That's the real crime! A useless AG! n/t

[Chulanowa]

7. APOLOGIST! OBAMABOT! WOODCHUCK!

I AM THE LIBERAL LEFT PROGRESSIVE WING ORGANIZATION OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AND I HAVE FOUND YOUR CREDENTIALS WANTING!!!! OMFG I AM SO OUTRAGED!

*cough*

[xchrom]

8. Unrec - he can and should focus on more important issues. Nt

[alc]

9. he doesn't have to but

the standard policy is to uphold all laws. If you don't like this policy, think of the health care lawsuits that will likely still be going on under the next president. And imagine a republican gets elected. It would be pretty easy for the next administration get rid of health care just by not fighting those law suits. If the mandate law suit takes until 2013 before the supreme court (not unlikely) hears it, it will fail without a very good argument by the government - if they decide not to show up the plaintiffs win. And if mandates go, so does everything else. If Obama is still president it won't be an issue. But the policy is there so presidents can't easily dismantle legislation passed under the previous president.

[kratos12]

10. Kick and Rec

I'm amazed the lack of insight exhibited daily on this "progressive" board.

Federal drug laws as stupid as they may be, are established law. Holder by upholding these laws is doing his job.

[TexasObserver]

11. More nonsense, untethered to reality.

ALL Attorneys General exercise discretion in what they will make the focus of their investigations and prosecutions. That is the whole point of winning the election for president.

If you were paying attention this week, you'd have seen that Holder is more than happy to abandon an appeal involving the misuse of federal lands for religious groups that violate basic humans rights in America.

And you seem to have forgotten that this president promised he wouldn't do what he and his incompetent AG have done regarding the MJ issue in states such as California. President Obama needs to go back and read his campaign statements from two years ago, since he seems to have forgotten entirely what he promised to get elected.

Of all the Obama appointments, the weakest has been Eric Holder, and the president has made some terrible appointments.

[DirkGently]

12. Imagine a scenario where Holder remains silent on war crimes but pipes up on pot right before a vote