The Tote Board Grades the Obama Cabinet: Eric Holder, Attorney General -- A

There are those who have criticized President Obama's choice of Eric Holder -- the first African-American to become AG -- as too political -- principally because of Holder's role in the Marc Rich pardon in the closing days of the Clinton Administration. Nonsense: A political AG is what you want. You don't want an AG who will investigate you which is why Jimmy Carter appointed close Georgia confidante Griffin Bell to the post and Ronald Reagan installed William French Smith and later Ed Meese. The presidents who have gotten in trouble with the Justice Dept. (See Clinton, Bill) did so because they either were forced to nominate someone with whom they were unfamiliar (Janet Reno) or bought all the BS about the Justice Dept. being above politics.

Holder, who ran Obama's search for veep, knows how to protect his boss. And he's also highly qualified and knows the Justice Dept. as well as a former Deputy AG under Clinton. A superb choice.

Grade: A

This is the first of a regular series reviewing Barack Obama's appointees.