...he has been under fire for attacking the First Amendment rights of the media and is widely seen as having given his friends and former clients on Wall Street a complete pass on the criminal conduct that led to the 2008 financial crisis.

Holder's involvement with the war on whistleblowers, tracking and intimidating reporters, killing Americans without judicial review, and the abysmal failure to enforce the law against criminals in the financial services industry has left America a more divided and unjust society. Not a particularly good legacy to leave behind.

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There's more to the equation than drug laws and sentencing guidelines.  A lot more. Yes, we have too many people in prison, and too many of them are there because they ran afoul of antiquated laws.  But I expect the attorney general to have more respect for the Constitution than Holder has shown, and I expect him to do more than reducing the crimes of the financial industry to something that can be paid for with a big check and some creative "programs."  Too many people had their lives ruined by greedy banksters who were never held accountable.

A shining accomplishment of Attorney General Holder was his, essentially, instant application of US v Windsor to protection under the law in words and action: Holder, in a speech on human rights said; "in every Courthouse, in every proceeding and in every place where a member of the DOJ stands on behalf of the US, they will strive to ensure that same sex marriages  receive the same privileges, protections and rights as opposite sex marriages under federal law. Just as in the civil rights struggles of the 1960s, the stakes in the current generation over same sex marriage rights could not be higher." Holder acted in the broad sense and in special cases such as Utah and Michigan.

And, then it was the same Eric Holder who has been criticized for the DOJ's sparing prosecutions of Wall Street, including his "too big to jail" comment intended to convey the impact of a few firms on the national and world economy.  Not a shiny point here.

Overall, it is only fair to assess Eric holder in the context of the performance of his predecessors--those who suffered similar institutional constraints in wielding authority.

In that sense, he compares, in my view, favorably with those of recent Democratic Administrations--Clinton (janet Reno, who, along with her deputy, Eric Holder, was euchred or deceived into expanding the scope of the Whitewater Special Prosecutor, Ken Starr,  to deal with Linda Tripp's cunning), and Carter's good old boy, Griffin Bell.

President Barack Obama said Thursday it's not his administration's job to reschedule marijuana, but supporters of rescinding the drug's federal classification as one of the most dangerous narcotics say the president is confused and should act immediately.

"What is and isn't a Schedule I narcotic is a job for Congress," Obama told Jake Tapper of CNN. "It's not something by ourselves that we start changing. No, there are laws under - undergirding those determinations."

Marijuana advocates point to the U.S. Code and say that's not entirely accurate.

The 1970 Controlled Substances Act, which created five tiers of restricted drugs, says the attorney general may "remove any drug or other substance from the schedules if he finds that the drug or other substance does not meet the requirements for inclusion in any schedule."

If a substance is banned by international treaties - as marijuana is - the law grants the attorney general the power to place it "under the schedule he deems most appropriate."

[READ: Kofi Annan Urges 'Rising Up' Against Drug Prohibition]

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., tells U.S. News it's "very clear" that the law "actually permits reclassification administratively."

"I don't dispute that Congress could and should make the change, but it's also something the administration could do in a matter of days and I hope they will consider it," says Blumenauer, who is currently circulating a letter among colleagues asking Obama to do so. Eight members of Congress have signed the letter so far.

Schedule I drugs are deemed to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical value.

Blumenauer says it's clear marijuana doesn't belong in the highest schedule alongside heroin and LSD. He says it does have accepted medical value in 20 states and Washington, D.C., where its use for certain conditions is permitted, and that it's relatively safe compared to other drugs - notably cocaine and methamphetamine, which are ranked Schedule II.

"Eric Holder is the most divisive U.S. Attorney General in modern history and, in a vote supported by 17 Democratic House Members, has the dubious historic distinction of being the first Attorney General held in criminal contempt by the U.S. House of Representatives," said Chairman Issa. "Time and again, Eric Holder administered justice as the political activist he describes himself as instead of an unbiased law enforcement official.  By needlessly injecting politics into law enforcement, Attorney General Holder's legacy has eroded more confidence in our legal system than any Attorney General before him. Through strong arming reporters, practically ignoring high level wrongdoing, blocking his own agency Inspector General's access to information, and overseeing a Department that attempted to stonewall Congressional oversight with denials of what is now established fact, Attorney General Holder abused his office and failed to uphold the values of our Constitution.  While President Obama and the Senate should work expeditiously to find a replacement, time and care must be taken to ensure that our next Attorney General recognizes and does not repeat Mr. Holder's mistakes."