Klobuchar on board for Holder, not yet with Feinstein on waterboarding?

Eric Holder, President Obama’s nominee for U.S. attorney general, will have the support of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar when his appointment comes to a vote in the Senate today. Holder’s approval of controversial pardons as deputy attorney general under President Clinton gave her some pause, according to MinnPost, but his appearance last month before the judiciary committee (to which she has since been appointed) put her at ease. Besides, Klobuchar’s office told the Minnesota Independent that the two already have a date to discuss who should be the next U.S. attorney for Minnesota – after Holder’s confirmation.

Meanwhile, Minnesota peace activists are trying to nail down Klobuchar’s position on a bill by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., that would strictly define interrogation techniques. A noncommittal e-mail from Klobuchar on Monday didn’t satisfy them, but Feinstein’s office tells MnIndy that the bill’s in flux anyway after Obama’s executive orders to close the Guantanamo prison camp and end interrogations outside the bounds of the U.S. Army’s Field Manual.

In other news concerning Minnesota’s lone senator, Klobuchar’s bill to delay the nation’s conversion to HDTV from Feb. 17 to June 12 passed on Monday. The House version is expected to come to a vote today, according to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s office, with only slight changes needed from the Senate to make the two bills agree.