Eric Holder was officially sworn in yesterday as the first Caribbean-American attorney general of the United States.

Holder, 58, the son of a Barbadian father, has also become the first black attorney general in the US.

"Nowhere but in this great country could a person like me or the president (Barack Obama) hope to achieve the positions we are now so fortunate to hold," said Holder after Vice-President Joe Biden administered the oath of office.

The US Senate on Monday voted overwhelmingly to confirm Holder as the highest law enforcement official in the nation, becoming its 82nd attorney general.

Meanwhile, Tom Daschle withdrew yesterday as President Obama's nominee to be US health and human services secretary, dealing potential blows to both speedy health-care reform and Obama's hopes for a smooth start in the White House.