The attorney general of the United States is not soft on crime. Since the nation’s top legal office was established in 1789, this has been axiomatic.
But that won’t stop some from suggesting Eric Holder, the current attorney general, wants to coddle criminals.
Holder, who on Monday Aug. 12 gave a major speech on crime, is pragmatic, realistic, sensible. Said the attorney general: “Although incarceration has a role to play in our justice system, widespread incarceration at the federal, state and local levels is both ineffective and unsustainable.”
There is no rational way to argue with Holder’s basic assertions. Which won’t stop some, sadly, from heading down that road.
— The Republican of Springfield (Mass.)
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