From George Zimmerman to Guantanamo Bay, Eric Holder Has Failed Barack Obama

Impact

President Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, served as president of the Harvard Law Review, and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years. With such an extensive background in the field of law, I find it puzzling that one of his most disappointing appointees is his attorney general, Eric Holder.

The primary duties of the attorney general are to represent the United States in legal matters and to furnish advice and opinion upon questions of law. Yet, since assuming office, Eric Holder has made a string of baffling decisions — like his misguided endeavor to criminally prosecute CIA operatives without a shred of evidence or his hypocritical attempt to offer foreign military combatants protections under the Constitution while at the same time condoning the killing of American terrorists outside the U.S. without due process — that belie his knowledge of the law.  

In addition, as the chief law enforcer for the United States government, the attorney general should approach all issues with an impartial view and be immune to partisan politics. Yet Eric Holder has consistently demonstrated he is incapable of impartiality. He supported Obama’s veiled threat to Supreme Court justices if they overturned the Obamacare mandate and continues to stonewall Congress’ investigation of the DOJ’s firearm sales to Mexican drug cartels.

This impartiality is often laced with a hint of racism. He turned a blind eye to voter intimidation by New Black Panther activists in Philadelphia because it didn’t compare to what “his people” endured in the 60s. And in the latest display, he has vocalized the need for “justice” in the racially charged Trayvon Martin case, yet has remained quite silent about the heinous bounty the New Black Panther’s have placed on George Zimmerman.

These continuous displays of poor decision-making and impartiality beg the question, is Eric Holder maliciously disregarding the duties of his office or just generally incompetent? Whatever the answer, it seriously calls into question President Obama’s judgment and own knowledge of U.S. law.

President Obama taught constitutional law for over a decade. He should be able to fill the attorney general role with a capable and unbiased candidate. Yet, Eric Holder has revealed he is neither of these two things since the day he assumed office. Given President Obama continues to support him suggests the president, himself, does not fully understand the law (despite being an educator of it) and/or is not impartial with respect to its implementation. Either way, this is a serious problem for America.