by Linda Chavez: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/LindaChavez/2008/06/13/obama_flunks_another_test

Johnson’s departure doesn’t end the controversy around Obama’s VP search committee, however. One of the other members of the committee, Eric Holder, has his own problems. Holder was the No. 2 man in the Clinton Justice Department and played an important role in a controversial, last-minute presidential pardon of financier Marc Rich. Rich spent nearly two decades as a fugitive dodging charges for federal tax evasion and trading with Iran while that country held U.S. citizens as prisoners. These pardons have been the subject of federal investigations and congressional hearings, tarnishing Holder’s reputation.

The issue is that the DOJ was under a court order in a specific case (i.e., something a court is actually allowed to do) granting custody to Lazaro. Other items were pending at the time that were heading against the FL family keeping Elian, but that 11th Circuit Court ruling was the highest court involved to that point.

DOJ got their warrant from a judge on a Friday evening after all other courts were closed (some believe they got it after the fact and backdated it), ensuring that no one could appeal on the family’s behalf until after the raid. They did it because they knew they were legally in the wrong, but that the public would probably let it go (however, Al Gore who lost FL might dispute whether enough people ever let it go).

Napolitano’s right; Holder was wrong, and made speechless when confronted with it.

You are definitely correct about the pro-female bias of the custody system and the selection of who is the presumptively more fit parent.

Whatever you think of the Clintons, and I don’t think much of them, they made the proper call to send Elian back to his father, i.e. his parent. I say screw the Courts given that the Courts ususally screw over the kids and dads in custody situations (I realize it wasn’t a family law cournt). This is one of the very few instances the Clinton Administration did the right thing by coincidence even if it technically violated some judge’s ruling.

We may disagree on this one Tom, but as a divorced dad, I side with Elian and his dad on this one even if it means going to Communist Cuba. The only reason why Elian’s relatives insisted he stay in the US was their desire to tweak Castro’s nose under the guise of a better economic life for Elian, a child is not some political pawn. Obviously, the relatives were at odds with Elian’s father otherwise they would not have pulled the stunts they did. Sorry but even this doesn’t merit separating a child from his only living parent.

At the risk of being tangential, the Family Law Court is the most corrupt institution in the US. The only time they get a ruling right is strictly coincidence. Over half of ALL child abusers are hand picked by the Family Law Judge to be the custodian. The reason is 90% of the time they pick the female as the custodial parent under the stereotype that only females can be single parent and males can only be paychecks. The other 10% of the time, they can’t cover up the female’s drug use, alcoholism, prostitution or desertion. As a result, I have zero respect for the Family Law system. The Family Law system represents Socialism and Feminism at it worst and the consequences upon our society have been horrific as witnessed by 70% of inmates being from broken homes. How many more victims of Socialism do we need to realize that such an ideology is bankrupt? How many children have been murdered as a direct result of the Family Law judge? Apparently, there haven’t been enough to dissuade them from their Depraved Indifference…