Olson Shocks Conservatives With Prop 8 Case

The Washington Post delves into the surprise many conservatives felt upon learning that Theodore B. Olson, a star of the movement, had agreed to launch the federal legal challenge against Proposition 8.

According to the Post, in a case chock full of legal talent, no one has drawn as much attention as Olson, who served as solicitor general for George W. Bush, among other appointments.

"But no one has attracted as much attention as Olson, a tall and lanky man who is approaching 70 but still wears his strawberry-blond hair in bangs," the Post states. "That the man who was a loyal Reagan lieutenant and defended Bush's antiterrorism policies is now championing gay rights has been too much for some conservatives. M. Edward Whelan III, whose National Review column is influential in conservative legal circles, called the lawsuit 'a betrayal of everything that Ted Olson has purported to stand for.'"

Read the complete profile here.