Now we'll see how long it takes to clear out all of those Republican-appointed attorneys and how quiet the press will be about that.

From The Wall Street Journal

By EVAN PEREZ and BRENT KENDALL

WASHINGTON -- Eric Holder, President Barack Obama's nominee for attorney general, won the backing of his toughest critic, Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, virtually assuring that he will be approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee at a vote scheduled for Wednesday.

Mr. Holder is expected to win approval by the full Senate later this week.

The 58-year-old corporate lawyer is set to take over a department that already is set on a path sharply different from that set during eight years under President George W. Bush. The Obama administration has announced changes in policies ranging from the Guantanamo Bay military prison to how it releases information under the Freedom of Information Act.

Sen. Specter followed through on Republican threats to grill Mr. Holder over controversies that date back to his time as deputy attorney general during the Clinton administration. Critics raised questions about Mr. Holder's role in several last-minute pardons issued by Mr. Clinton. Sen. Specter questioned whether Mr. Holder fully explained how he allowed the Clinton White House to circumvent Justice Department procedures in granting a pardon for fugitive financier Marc Rich.

Mr. Holder acknowledged making mistakes in handling the pardons, which generated months of investigations and hearings after he left office.

Sen. Specter last Wednesday blocked the committee from voting on Mr. Holder, saying he had needed answers to a new batch of questions he had submitted to Mr. Holder.

Sen. Specter said he was particularly influenced by the recommendation of former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Louis Freeh, who said Mr. Holder was a man of integrity. "I think Mr. Holder is entitled to the benefit of the doubt," Sen. Specter said.