In an article about how Holder will likely become Obama's AG nomination, the Times, like so many in the press, plays up as a huge deal the relatively modest role Holder had in the Marc Rich pardon scandal that marked the end of the Clinton administration.

According to the newspaper's headline Holder is “haunted” by the Marc Rich scandal (Oh my.) And in the lead, the Times announces rather breathlessly that Holder's name was “dragged very publicly through the mud” by the pardon ordeal. (Oh my!)

To prove what a huge ordeal the mostly forgotten saga was for Holder, the Times quotes from some anonymous GOP staffers as well as RNC-issued talking points and allegations, like Holder looked the other way regarding the pardons because he wanted to be Al Gore's AG, if Gore got elected. That's what GOP attack dogs like Rep. Dan Burton claimed in 2001, but there was no proof of that then, or now.

If Holder is officially nominated, will the pardon issue come up in his confirmation hearings? Almost certainly. Has Holder been “haunted” by the issue? The Times offers no real suggestion he has. In fact, it's quite the opposite: If Holder had been “haunted,” and if his name really had been “dragged very publicly through the mud,” he wouldn't be preparing to become the country's next AG, right?