So far Obama is staying in line with his record of partisanship (having voted with his party 97% of the time) and is not keeping his promise to “reach across the isle.” Every position being filled in the upcoming Obama administration are by democrats, and crazy liberal democrats at that. His selections make me further question his judgment. I have been attempting to be optimistic that Obama is an intelligent man who has “grown up” since the poor judgment that he has exhibited in the past; however, it seems that so far there is still reason for great concern.

Obama has named Eric Holder as his Attorney General. Holder, a Washington lawyer, was deputy attorney general to Janet Reno who headed the Justice Department under Bill Clinton. He became infamous for vetting the pardons made by Bill Clinton in his final days as president, including the fugitive tax-cheat Marc Rich, whose wife conveniently made a large donation to Clinton. He also filed clemency petition for 17 members of the notorious Puerto Rican terrorist group Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN) which “was one of the most prolific terrorist organizations ever to wage war against the American people…proudly claim[ing] responsibility for over 130 bombings and incendiary attacks in the U.S. and Puerto Rico between 1974 and 1983, killing six and wounding scores,” even against the wise opposition of the FBI, the Bureau of Prisons and U.S. state attorneys who cited that this action would pose a threat to national security.

Read an account by Joseph Connor, whose father was a victim of the FALN attacks here. Here is some of what Connor writes:

Among these vicious, cold-blooded attacks was the Jan. 24, 1975, lunchtime bombing at New York City’s historic Fraunces Tavern. Four innocent men were murdered that day, and one of them was my 33-year-old father, Frank Connor. My father had been very excited to get home from work that night to celebrate my brother’s and my recent 11th and 9th birthdays with his young family. Instead, after my father’s funeral, mourners shared a dinner in our home that was meant for our birthday celebration.

After members of the FALN were arrested, they threatened Judge Thomas McMillen’s life during their Chicago trial. Carmen Valentine told the judge, “You are lucky that we cannot take you right now,” and called the judge a terrorist. Dylcia Pagan warned the courtroom: “All of you, I would advise you to watch your backs.” And Ida Rodriguez told the judge, “You say we have no remorse. You’re right. … Your jails and your long sentences will not frighten us.” These terrorists convinced McMillen that they would continue being terrorists “as long as you live. If there was a death penalty, I’d impose the penalty on you without hesitation.”

Eight of these FALN terrorists later would receive pardons from President Clinton, even though they remained unrepentant. Indeed, after 18 years in prison, Ricardo Jimenez explained to Tim Russert on Meet the Press, just days after his release, that people died at Fraunces Tavern because “measures were not taken that were necessary by the people who owned those establishments.” As I watched this surreal interview I thought, “My father was eating lunch in a crowded restaurant in New York City. What precautions should the owners have taken?”

Former assistant U.S. Attorney and FALN prosecutor Deborah Devaney wrote in The Wall Street Journal on Sept. 7, 1999: “I know the chilling evidence that convicted the petitioners… . [T]he White House spun the tale that Mr. Clinton was freeing only those who had harmed no one…I would like the Connor family to know that the American justice system did not fail them, the President did.”

How does this outrageous and tragic story reflect on Barack Obama’s judgment?

Holder played a central role in freeing these terrorists. As the deputy attorney general, he was responsible for signing off on all clemency matters forwarded to the President, and in this case he recommended that clemency be granted — despite vehement opposition from the FBI, the Bureau of Prisons, and his own Justice Department.

In a September 1999 letter to House Judiciary Chairman Henry Hyde, FBI Director Louis Freeh explained that “the FBI has consistently advised the DOJ in writing that the FBI was opposed to any such pardon and or commutation of sentences for any of these individuals.” Freeh said clemency “would likely return committed, experienced, sophisticated and hardened terrorists to the clandestine movement.” Mr. Freeh emphasized “the FBI was unequivocally opposed to the release of these terrorists under any circumstances and had so advised the DOJ.” Moreover, in a letter to me dated Jan. 6, 1998, (more than a year before the pardons) a senior official from Holder’s own Justice Department expressly referred to the FALN members as “terrorists.”

Yet, according to Edward Lewine of the New York Daily News, despite this opposition, “Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, the Justice Department official most involved with this issue, reportedly supported clemency.” Indeed, rather than consult with attack victims and their families, Mr. Holder instead met privately with members of Congress and recommended what the FALN members should do to facilitate a grant of presidential clemency.

Was Holder the obedient DAG providing the Clintons’ with justification for politically craven pardons?  Or did Holder actually believe in unleashing unrepentant, communist terrorists on the public?  Either way, should this man influence a potential VP selection or one day be the nation’s top law enforcement officer?  Absolutely not.

The Connor family was shattered on Jan. 24, 1975. Eventually, some healing began. While not a day goes by without us thinking of him, my mom got remarried to a good man. My brother and I graduated college and established families of our own. Regrettably, Frank Connor would never get to hug his four beautiful grandchildren.

But in August 1999, the Clinton administration’s politically motivated pardons revived the terrible pain of our father’s murder. I realize that sociopath terrorists like the FALN lack remorse for their use of murder for political gain; but now our own government was disregarding my father’s life and death for some perceived political advantage.

Worse, releasing the terrorists placed the American people in danger. When I helped introduce the Pardon Attorney Reform and Integrity Act in February 2000, I warned about “the encouragement would-be terrorists must have received by the” FALN clemency grants. Unfortunately, that warning proved prophetic, and Sept. 11, 2001, took the life of my father’s 41-year-old godson, Steve Schlag, and 3,000 other innocent lives as my brother and I watched in horror from our downtown offices.

As Obama declares America needs his presidency because “ordinary Americans are hurting,” I recall the pain that one of his top advisers and a potential attorney general was an accomplice to inflicting on at least one “ordinary American” family. And then I am reminded how Holder’s actions also helped place America in harm’s way.

When he elevated Holder to such a senior campaign position, did Obama reflect the kind of judgment we need in a president?  Absolutely not.

From the Republican National Committee:

Eric Holder Is Obama’s “Top Choice For Attorney General.” “President-elect Barack Obama’s top choice for attorney general is Eric Holder, a former No. 2 Justice Department official in the Clinton administration…” (Matt Apuzzo and Lara Jakes Jordan, “Holder Is Obama’s Top Choice For Attorney General,” The Associated Press, 11/18/08)

But Holder Was Involved In The Last-Minute Pardon Of “Fugitive Financier” Marc Rich:

Holder Played A “Key Role” In The Pardoning Of Marc Rich. “Now Obama needs to turn his attention to another member of that committee – Eric Holder, a former No. 2 in the Clinton Justice Department who played a key role in processing the infamous last-minute pardon of the notorious tax-cheat fugitive Marc Rich.” (Editorial, “Obama’s Bus,” New York Post, 6/12/08)

“Holder, One Of Two Remaining Members Of Obama’s Vice Presidential Search Committee, Was Always Expected To Be A Lightning Rod.” (Jonathan Weisman, “Next On The GOP List: Eric Holder,” The Washington Post’s “The Trail” Blog, blog.washingtonpost.com, 6/12/08)

Holder Reviewed The Pardon Of “Fugitive Financier” Rich. “The criticism Thursday centered on Obama adviser Eric H. Holder Jr., who is scrutinizing candidates to be the Democratic presumptive presidential nominee’s running mate. As deputy attorney general under President Clinton, Mr. Holder reviewed the last-minute pardon of fugitive financier Marc Rich.” (Jim McElhatton, “GOP Hits Another Obama Adviser,” The Washington Times, 6/13/08)

Holder “Waved Through” Rich’s Pardon In The Final Days Of The Clinton Administration. “As Bill Clinton’s deputy attorney general, he was the gatekeeper for presidential pardons. Most famously, he waved through the pardon for fugitive financier Marc Rich in the waning days of the Clinton White House.” (Jonathan Weisman, “Next On The GOP List: Eric Holder,” The Washington Post’s “The Trail” Blog, blog.washingtonpost.com, 6/12/08)

“Charged With 51 Counts Of Fraud, Tax Evasion And Illegally Trading With Iran, Mr. Rich Fled To Switzerland In 1983 But Won A Pardon From Mr. Clinton In 2001.” (Jim McElhatton, “GOP Hits Another Obama Adviser,” The Washington Times, 6/13/08)

To Obtain A Pardon, Rich Retained Former White House Counsel Jack Quinn, Who Circumvented Formal Pardon Application Procedures. “[R]ich wanted a pardon and he retained Jack Quinn, former counsel to the president, to lobby his old boss. … From the start, the Rich lawyers ignored the government’s established rules for pardon applications. Instead of making a formal application to the Office of Pardons in the Justice Department, Quinn sent the application directly to the White House in late December of 2007.” (Dick Morris and Eileen McGann, Op-Ed, “Obama’s VP Search Mistake,” New York Post, 6/5/08)

Documents Emerged Which Indicated That Holder Had Recommended Quinn, And “Gave Substantive Advice To Quinn Along The Way.” “Two days later, documents in support of the pardon were sent by Jack Quinn to Eric Holder. It was Holder who had originally recommended Quinn to one of Rich’s advisers, although he claims that he did not know the identity of the client. And he gave substantive advice to Quinn along the way. According to Quinn’s notes that were produced to Congress, Holder told Quinn to take the pardon application ‘straight to the White House’ because ‘the timing is good.’ … When Holder received the Rich materials, he did no independent research to determine their veracity and appears to have barely reviewed them.” (Dick Morris and Eileen McGann, Op-Ed, “Obama’s VP Search Mistake,” New York Post, 6/5/08)

Holder Conducted No Independent Research To Scrutinize Quinn’s Request On Behalf Of Rich. “When Holder received the Rich materials, he did no independent research to determine their veracity and appears to have barely reviewed them. … [H]e never took the time to check anything and simply told the White House that he was ‘neutral to positive’ on the pardons.” (Dick Morris and Eileen McGann, Op-Ed, “Obama’s VP Search Mistake,” New York Post, 6/5/08)

“Neither Clinton Nor Holder Ever Consulted With The Pardon Attorney.” (Dick Morris and Eileen McGann, Op-Ed, “Obama’s VP Search Mistake,” New York Post, 6/5/08)

“Officials At The U.S. Attorney’s Office In New York Were Understandably Infuriated When They Learned About The Pardon And Accused Rich Of Deliberating Bypassing Their Office.” (Dick Morris and Eileen McGann, Op-Ed, “Obama’s VP Search Mistake,” New York Post, 6/5/08)

“In 2002, A Congressional Committee Reported That Holder Was A ‘Willing Participant In The Plan To Keep The Justice Department From Knowing About And Opposing’ The Rich Pardon.” (Dick Morris and Eileen McGann, Op-Ed, “Obama’s VP Search Mistake,” New York Post, 6/5/08)

The Wall Street Journal: “As Deputy Attorney General in the Clinton Administration, he played a role in the Marc Rich pardon that also deserves to be fully vetted – all the more so if Mr. Holder is on the short list to be Mr. Obama’s Attorney General.” (Editorial, “Ex-Friends Of Barack,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/12/08)

And As Deputy Attorney General, Holder Supported Clemency For Former FALN Members:

In August 1999, President Bill Clinton Offered Clemency To 16 Former Members Of The Puerto Rican Terrorist Group The Armed Forces Of National Liberation (FALN). “As the furor over President Clinton’s recent clemency offer to 16 militant Puerto Rican nationalists continues, new evidence suggests the timing of the decision might have had more to do with the 1998 impeachment proceedings than with the First Lady’sNew York Senate campaign, as critics have charged. The White House also badly misjudged the repercussions of the decision on both sides of the clemency question. Though most of the critics have been the President’s political enemies and police injured in FALN terrorist acts, restrictions placed on the clemency also have angered many in the Puerto Rican community and made it hard for the prisoners to accept the deal. Lawyers for the FALN members have denounced the Clinton offer as unfair. ‘I don’t think the President understood the reaction that Puerto Ricans would have on all sides of the issue,’ said Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-Brooklyn). The dustup began Aug. 11, when the President offered clemency to 16 former members of the FALN the Spanish acronym for Armed Forces of National Liberation which was linked to about 130 bombings that killed six and injured dozens from 1974 to 1983. The presidential offer was the culmination of a six-year campaign that began in 1993, when a Chicago lawyer filed clemency petitions for 17 imprisoned FALN members.” (Edward Lewine, “How Bill Chose Clemency,” [New York] Daily News, 9/5/99)

Holder Played A Major Role In The FALN Clemency Decision, According To FALN Documents And Memos. “Holder, a Barbadian immigrant’s son who grew up in Queens and received his law degree from Columbia, has played major roles in the probe of Democratic funny-money in the 1996 elections, the Sexgate scandal and the recommendation to President Clinton on whether to free FALN terrorists from jail. A list of FALN documents withheld from Congress shows that many memos on the FALN clemency decision went directly to Holder, while Reno’s role was minimal.” (Brian Blomquist, “Ailing Reno Yielding Reins Of Justice,” New York Post, 12/15/99)

Although The FBI Opposed Clemency, Holder Supported Clemency For The FALN Members.

“Although The New York Times reported that the FBI, Bureau of Prisons and U.S. state attorneys opposed clemency, Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, the Justice Department official most involved with this issue, reportedly supported clemency. ‘Eric Holder told me he was recommending that,’ a high-ranking official said. Ruff also supported clemency, sources said. Holder declined to comment.” (Edward Lewine, “How Bill Chose Clemency,” [New York] Daily News, 9/5/99)

In 1997, Holder Met With Three Members Of Congress And Made Recommendations To Them About How The FALN Members Could More Easily Be Granted Clemency. “The committee’s documents show that Mr. Adams and Eric Holder, the Deputy Attorney General, met on Nov. 5, 1997, with Representative Luis V. Gutierrez, Democrat of Illinois, and Representatives Jose E. Serrano of the Bronx and Nydia M. Velazquez of Brooklyn, both Democrats, to discuss the case of the Puerto Rican inmates. According to Mr. Adams’s notes, Mr. Holder told the members of Congress that because the prisoners had not applied themselves for clemency this could be taken that they were not repentant, and he suggested that a statement expressing some remorse might help. In their testimony today, both Mr. Adams and Mr. Holder declined to answer several questions about how the clemency decision was reached, citing executive privilege. Both said, however, that the Justice Department had acted appropriately throughout the process.” (Neil A. Lewis, “Records Show Puerto Ricans Got U.S. Help With Clemency,” The New York Times, 10/21/99)

A Subsequent Clinton Administration Justice Department Report Identified The Group As An “Ongoing Threat.” “The Puerto Rican nationalist group FALN, 16 of whose members were pardoned by President Clinton in August, poses an ‘ongoing threat’ to national security, according to a September report by Attorney General Janet Reno released yesterday during a combative Senate hearing on the clemency decision.” (David A. Vise and Lorraine Adams, “FALN A Threat, Reno Says,” The Washington Post, 10/21/99)