TED OLSON has spent much time in the last year reassuring nervous Republicans. The conservative legal star, former solicitor general, and champion of Bush v. Gore headed up Rudy Giuliani’s legal-advisory team in the early primaries. Now Olson is backing John McCain, and, just as with Giuliani, he has had to address the concerns of conservatives who worry that the candidate isn’t very strong on judges.
“There’s a residual level of distrust out there because of things like McCain-Feingold and the Gang of 14,” Olson told NATIONAL REVIEW. “I’ve told them that John McCain, in my opinion, is a man of his word. I said to him, ‘The one question conservatives are going to ask is whether you’re going to be solid on judicial appointments.’He gave his word to me, and we talked about it at some length.” Olson has been able to ease many a troubled conservative mind, but there remain some loyal members of the Republican base who just don’t trust McCain when it comes to one of their most important issues.
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