I'm not going to argue with Janet Reno's contention that Eric Holder is perfectly qualified for the attorney general slot, but even so, it's hard for me to believe that Obama couldn't find anyone for the post who wasn't the workhorse behind Bill Clinton's pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich. Holder, obviously, was just doing his job, but appearances matter in this town. Republicans will have no problem attacking the choice, and your average voter will be rather confused as to why Obama made it. Whatever Holder's merits -- and I grant that they are many -- it's a nomination that recalls the worst of the Clinton era, and it's not clear why that needed to be done.
