Eric Holder's nomination as the first African-American US attorney general moved to the full Senate on Wednesday with broad bipartisan support, as Republicans who earlier criticised the nominee determined he was well qualified for the job. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 17-2 to favourably recommend Holder for the post as chief US law enforcement official and head of the Justice Department.
The only senators who voted against Holder in committee were Republicans John Cornyn and Tom Coburn. Cornyn criticised Holder's role in controversial pardons and questioned whether he would protect intelligence agents who participated in harsh interrogations.
Holder's supporters said he would not be afraid to tell President Barack Obama he was wrong. They praised him for declaring that waterboarding as an interrogation technique is torture. And they said he would be tough on crime.
"When asked whether this country at is at war he said yes," said Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican. "He indicated the enemy have declared war on this country long before we realised it. He sees the battlefield as the entire globe." Graham said he supports Holder's view that the country needs to interrogate terrorism suspects in accordance with American values.
"I am confident this new attorney general will have a balanced approach and I look forward to working with him. I know he's made mistakes and so have I," Graham said. Several senators praised Holder for his willingness to admit his mistake, when he told the White House he was leaning in favour of former President Bill Clinton's pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich - whose wife was a major Democratic contributor.
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