Eric Holder's Take: The Attorney General on 10 Hot Topics

Republican resistance, race in America, Redskins and more.

IMHO - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder doesn't do a lot of sit-downs, which may be why in this ABC News interview, he was asked to share his opinion on a broad range of topics from Congress to the Washington Redskins' controversial name. — Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick)   (Photo: This Week via ABC)

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IMHO - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder doesn't do a lot of sit-downs, which may be why in this ABC News interview, he was asked to share his opinion on a broad range of topics from Congress to the Washington Redskins' controversial name. — Joyce Jones (@BETpolitichick) (Photo: This Week via ABC)

Republican Resistance - For whatever reason, [some] Republicans decided early on that this was a president they were just simply not going to cooperate with,” Holder said. "And over the past five-and-a-half years, we have seen demonstrations of that, where the president has reached out his hand, offered compromises that have simply not been met [in the way] they have been in the past by a Republican Party willing to do the appropriate things." (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images)

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Republican Resistance - For whatever reason, [some] Republicans decided early on that this was a president they were just simply not going to cooperate with,” Holder said. "And over the past five-and-a-half years, we have seen demonstrations of that, where the president has reached out his hand, offered compromises that have simply not been met [in the way] they have been in the past by a Republican Party willing to do the appropriate things." (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images)

She's No Judge - "She wasn't a particularly good vice presidential candidate," Holder said of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's call for Congress to impeach President Obama. "She's an even worse judge of who ought to be impeached and why.” (Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

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She's No Judge - "She wasn't a particularly good vice presidential candidate," Holder said of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's call for Congress to impeach President Obama. "She's an even worse judge of who ought to be impeached and why.” (Photo: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

Syrian Crisis and Terrorist Threats - "I think we are at a dangerous time," Holder said. I think it is. In some ways, it's — it's more frightening than anything I think I've seen as attorney general. And 9/11 was something that kind of came out of the blue. This is a — a situation that we can see developing and the potential that I see coming up, the negative potential I see coming out of the facts in Syria and Iraq now, are quite concerning."   (Photo: AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)

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Syrian Crisis and Terrorist Threats - "I think we are at a dangerous time," Holder said. I think it is. In some ways, it's — it's more frightening than anything I think I've seen as attorney general. And 9/11 was something that kind of came out of the blue. This is a — a situation that we can see developing and the potential that I see coming up, the negative potential I see coming out of the facts in Syria and Iraq now, are quite concerning." (Photo: AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)

Homegrown Extremists - "These lone wolves, these homegrown violent extremists are people who keep me up at night, as well, trying to monitor them, trying to anticipate what it is that they are going to do. And, you know, the experience that we had in Boston is instructive. It only takes one or — or two people to really do something horrific."   (Photo: AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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Homegrown Extremists - "These lone wolves, these homegrown violent extremists are people who keep me up at night, as well, trying to monitor them, trying to anticipate what it is that they are going to do. And, you know, the experience that we had in Boston is instructive. It only takes one or — or two people to really do something horrific." (Photo: AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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Boehner's Take - "Given the groundbreaking nature of this legal action, we want to assert our clearest constitutional position. The fact we agree with a change that should have been made in law makes this case clearer to the court," wrote House Speaker John Boehner in an op-ed published on July 27 in USA Today. "I oppose the employer mandate in the president's health care law. The House of Representatives has voted to delay or eliminate it (and we will do so again if we prevail in court). But it is the letter of the law that was passed by Congress and signed by President Obama. He simply cannot unilaterally rewrite it." (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

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GOP vs. Obama - "It's a more, I think, a political gesture than a truly legal one," said Holder, who thinks the suit has no legs. "Filing a lawsuit against the president that has no basis is not going to improve the quality of life for the American people." (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Race in America - "We've made lots of progress. I sit here as the first African-American attorney general, serving the first African-American president of the United States. And that has to show that we have made a great deal of progress," Holder said. "But there's still more we have to travel along this road so we get to a place that is consistent with our founding ideals."   (Photo: Casarsa/Getty Images)

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Race in America - "We've made lots of progress. I sit here as the first African-American attorney general, serving the first African-American president of the United States. And that has to show that we have made a great deal of progress," Holder said. "But there's still more we have to travel along this road so we get to a place that is consistent with our founding ideals." (Photo: Casarsa/Getty Images)

A Higher Standard? - "There's a certain level of vehemence, it seems to me, that's directed at me [and] directed at the president. You know, people talking about taking their country back…," said the attorney general. "There's a certain racial component to this for some people. I don't think this is the thing that is a main driver, but for some there's a racial animus."   (Photo: Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

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A Higher Standard? - "There's a certain level of vehemence, it seems to me, that's directed at me [and] directed at the president. You know, people talking about taking their country back…," said the attorney general. "There's a certain racial component to this for some people. I don't think this is the thing that is a main driver, but for some there's a racial animus." (Photo: Pete Marovich/Getty Images)

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder - U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was the commencement speaker at Morgan State University on May 17. "In the wake of Brown v. Board, people of all ages — and from every corner of our nation — were inspired and emboldened by the courage, the conviction, and the persistence of those who risked so much in the fight for freedom and justice. Today, as you walk across this stage, each of you will take your rightful place as heirs of these pioneers," said Holder.    (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Standing by His Words - Holder said he would not walk back on a controversial Black History Month speech delivered in 2009, in which he called the U.S. a "nation of cowards" on the subject of race. "I think we are still a nation that is too afraid to confront racial issues," he said, and too rarely takes the time to engage "one another across the color line [to] talk about racial issues." (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Voting Rights - Noting that stricter new laws disproportionately impact African-Americans and others who "aren't necessarily supportive of the Republican Party," Holder said the DOJ is adding Ohio and Wisconsin to the list of states with restrictive new laws it will challenge. "I'm attorney general of the United States. I will not stand for – I will not allow people to take away that which people gave their lives to give, and that is the ability for the American people to vote," he said. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Photo By Mario Tama/Getty Images

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Do the Right Thing - "I think the name ought to be changed. I think it is an offensive name. And the Redskins are a team with a storied history that has huge amounts of support in Washington, D.C., and I think in the 21st century, they could increase their fan base, increase their level of support, if they did something that is so, from my perspective, so obviously right."(Photo: Washington Redskins/NFL)