Some names, words, ideas are just so radioactive that anyone with any sense wants to get as far away from them as possible. "Iran-Contra" is one such phrase. "Goiter" is another. And oh - of course, how could we forget? - there's the latter-day mother of them all, "Enron."
So you'd think, naturally, that anyone with any hope of any future in politics would want to avoid the Enron taint to whatever extent possible. But not Rudy! Rudy Giuliani, in fact, is not just joining a firm which represented Enron right through the bitter end, but he's slapping his own name on the door!
From the Houston Chronicle (via Josh Marshall):
Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani will join the Houston-based law firm of Bracewell & Patterson, a power marriage that brings together a high-profile GOP politician and a firm with major energy-related clients and ties to the White House.
Giuliani, who captured the nation's attention with his aggressive response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, will open a New York office for the firm, which will be renamed Bracewell & Giuliani.
...
The firm also represented former energy giant Enron, which collapsed after a corporate scandal. (Emphasis added.)
Bracewell has already tried to
put some distance between itself and Enron:
The Houston law firm of Bracewell & Patterson has severed all ties with bankrupt Enron Corp., the law firm's managing partner said Wednesday.
The firm's politically connected lawyers -- who include Republican National Committee Chairman Marc Racicot and Texas Republican attorney general candidate Greg Abbott -- have faced criticism that their relationships with a law firm working for Enron and their official positions could pose conflicts.
But of course, this white-washing hasn't worked - the clearest evidence being that, three years on, the Houston Chronicle is still mentioning the firm's ties to Enron.
Ya know, if Rudy does decide to run for governor, the matchup couldn't be more perfect: Eliot Spitzer, champion of consumers and vanquisher of corrupt corporations versus Rudy Giuliani, named partner at an Enron law firm. Heh. If I were cutting ads, donating money, or running PR, I think I know which side I'd want to be doing it for.
