what is the official ruling

[just another ref]

10-6-2: "A player shall not contact an opponent with his/her hand....."

Unlike other articles in 10-6, there is no mention of hindering the opponent's freedom of movement. Therefore, we may infer that this is not necessary for the contact to be a foul. One interpretation I have heard, (not sure where) is that the defender not be allowed the contact with the hand, no matter how slight, because this contact allows the defender to "measure" his opponent. In other words, the defender uses his sense of touch to aid his sense of sight in anticipating the movement of the offensive player.

Bottom line: You have your hand on the dribbler, you get called for a foul, you want to argue the call. You don't have a leg to stand on.