Theodore Olson And Rudy Giuliani Team Up
WASHINGTON (AP) - In his campaign to win over Republican conservatives, presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani has a persuasive ally in Theodore Olson, a high-profile lawyer often mentioned as a possible replacement for departing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Olson - despised by some Democrats for what they view as his aggressive partisanship - is trying to neutralize Giuliani’s negatives with conservatives who hold sway in the party’s primaries.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Olson said he is “comfortable” with Giuliani’s support for abortion rights because he would appoint conservative judges.
“Part of the reason you work on a campaign is because you believe in the individual and you hope that you’re able to persuade other people why that candidate should be the president,” said Olson, a former Bush administration solicitor general.
“And I hope that I can have some influence on people out there who know me or respect me,” he said.
They might seem unlikely comrades: Giuliani is a former New York mayor with liberal positions on social issues who generates suspicion among some in the right wing of his party, while Olson commands broad respect in the conservative legal community.
Olson is among three Giuliani advisers whose names have been floated as possible attorney general nominees. The others are former deputy attorney general Larry Thompson and Michael Mukasey, a former U.S. district chief judge in New York.
Democrats dislike Olson in part because he successfully argued the disputed 2000 election case before the Supreme Court, winning the presidency for Bush.
They also see him as an antagonist of President Clinton. Olson represented Paula Jones in her sex harassment suit against Clinton, and he has ties to The American Spectator, a conservative magazine that conducted an investigation called the “Arkansas Project” into possible past wrongdoing by Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
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September 14th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Olson said he is “comfortable†with Giuliani’s support for abortion rights because he would appoint conservative judges.
I wonder how Olson feels about Guiliani marrying a member of his family? In most places in Murika, the notion of marrying your cousin is frowned upon.
In fact, it’s illegal in half the states in this country. Oops! States rights!
September 14th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
It’s very clear that to the GOP the president is only important to get conservative judges. They obviously don’t need a brain, just point and click.
I think the Grand Old Perverts are staying very clear of Rudy’s kissin cousin past.
September 14th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
I have to tell you though, I brought up Guiliani marrying his cousin as a character flaw on an alleged lefty blog (but the blog is Hillary-centric) and a number of people all took exception to my comments.
They said people should be free to marry whomever they want to marry — even a family member!
It just creeped me out. I mean what’s next for Guiliani then? If the marriage to Judy (wife #3) doesn’t work out then maybe Rudy can marry his daughter?
Puleeeze!
September 14th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Christopher:
Marry his daughter…..that’s creepy and illegal in all states.
Go back and ask then about gay marraige. I’m sure they’ll have some BS morale statment to make.
I don’t think you should have been jumped on. If Rudy can marry his cousin they should allow you to be creeped out about it.
December 31st, 2007 at 3:04 pm
[...] probably has little use for free speech liberals like Kennedy or Souter. He is also buoyed by the support of high profile conservative lawyer and former Solicitor General, Ted Olsen. Olsen will also make a fine A.G. for President [...]