"Lawyers who provide counsel for the unpopular are, and should be treated as what they are — patriots," Attorney General Eric Holder said today. Those are among his strongest comments yet about the criticism some conservatives have leveled about the "Al-Qaeda 7" attorneys now working in the Justice Department who previously represented detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Holder's remarks came during a speech before the Pro Bono Institute, a non-profit organization that says it "provides research, consultative services, analysis and assessment, publications, and training to a broad range of legal audiences."

Fox News says the audience "erupted in applause" when it heard Holder's words.

Here's a longer excerpt from his address, from the Justice Department transcript:

 

"As you all know, advancing the cause of justice sometimes means working for the sake of the fairness and integrity of our system of justice. This is why lawyers who accept our professional responsibility to protect the rule of law, the right to counsel, and access to our courts — even when this requires defending unpopular positions or clients — deserve the praise and gratitude of all Americans. They also deserve respect. Those who reaffirm our nation's most essential and enduring values do not deserve to have their own values questioned. Let me be clear about this: Lawyers who provide counsel for the unpopular are, and should be treated as what they are — patriots."

As Frank wrote earlier this month, an organization led by Liz Cheney, daughter of former vice president Dick Cheney, has been asking such questions as "Whose values do they (the seven lawyers) represent?" in "Keep America Safe"-sponsored TV ads.

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