"Waterboarding Is Torture"

In answering the first question he was asked at his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, Attorney General-designate Eric Holder uttered three simple words that we've waited too long to hear:

Waterboarding is torture.

Along with that answer, that generated "a wave of approval" from the spectators, Holder also:

... pledged to shut down the U.S. naval prison in Cuba ... restore the Justice Department's reputation of independence from political interference ... told lawmakers he did not believe the attorney general's job was to serve as the president's lawyer ... vowed to see how much harm has been done to the department by political scandals.

And what about criminal investigations into actions taken under the direction of the Bush administration?

"No one is above the law," Holder said, "and we will follow the evidence, the facts, the law, and let that take us where we should."

And while that sounds promising, Holder also said he didn't want to "criminalize policy differences," which would run contrary to the pledge to follow the law, wherever it leads. After all, if waterboarding is torture and the Bush administration admits that they used waterboarding, we clearly aren't talking about mere policy differences. Time will tell.

As expected, Republicans questioned him on his role in the pardon of Marc Rich and members of FALN, fundraising by Al Gore, and gun rights, but it is clear that Holder is headed for confirmation, given that he has the support of the Democratic and at least two of the Republican Senators on the committee.

The hearing is expected to resume this morning at 10:00 a.m. (EST).