Olson Out (Ted Olson resigns as Solicitor General)

The Fourteenth Circuit ^ | June 24, 2004 | Fourteenth Circuit

[Agrippa]

Our sources are telling us that Theodore Olson resigned today as Solicitor General of the United States. Olson's wife Barabara was a passenger on American Airlines flight 77 when Muslin extremists crashed the plane into the Pentagon during the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Olson has been an able and effective advocate before the Supreme Court since President Bush appointed him as Solicitor General in 2001. We thank him for his service to the country and the rule of law, and wish him well in his future endeavors.

[hershey]

Ted Olson will be sorely missed. I hope the Bush admin. has another position in mind for him.

[cardinal4]

A big loss..

[pookie18]

Heard it about 10 minutes ago on FoxNews.

[sinkspur]

He's going into private practice. These government jobs don't pay these talented guys what they're worth.

[BonnieJ]

Was there a reason given? This is surprising.

[Peach]

I wish him a world of happiness. I was just thinking of Barbara yesterday and how much I miss seeing her on FNC.

[r9etb]

Was there a reason given? This is surprising.

Not surprising -- three years as Solicitor General, a war, and a dead wife tend to weigh on a guy.

[Catspaw]

My guess is Ted Olson will spend the rest of the summer in Door County WI. He's got relatives up there--and that's where Barbara is buried.

[Puppage]

He will be missed

[Inspectorette]

Well, now I'm in tears. That dear, brave man - I wish him nothing but the best.

[gilliam]

He was an honorable man who made grave sacrifices for the service of his country.

[Tijeras_Slim]

One of the good guys.

[bitt]

an honest, graceful gentleman. I hope that he takes a couple of months to recoup, and then offers his service to the President and the country again.

[NavySEAL F-16]

He will be missed. I admired his courage when Barbara was murdered. I still miss her on the talk shows -- such a wit and never afraid to point out the stupidity of the Dems.

[hispanarepublicana]

After and during 9/11, I held up like a trooper (I had staff and a major project stranded in D.C.) until the night that same week, when Ted Olson came on Larry King and told the story of how, on the night of Sep. 11/morning of Sep. 12, he finally went to bed at about 1 a.m. He had last seen BKO (her FReeper name) that morning before she left for the West Coast. When he turned down the bedcovers, he found a note from her on his pillow.

At that point, I couldn't take it any longer. I broke down and cried like a baby. I'm getting teared up even now thinking about it.

[Catspaw]

They had a memorial service for Barbara after her plane was crashed into the Pentagon. When they found her remains, she was buried in Door County, Wisconsin.

Ted Olson has many relatives in northern Door County (near the tip of the thumb of Wisconsin). Barbara loved their place so much that when she would spend time at their place and someone from the news media would want her on TV as a talking head, she wouldn't drive down to Green Bay to the studio. She insisted they come where she was--and they did.

I think of her--and the pain he went through after his death--whenever we go up to Door county.

[You Dirty Rats]

He needs to have some downtime before Dubya appoints him to SCOTUS.

[quantim]

I saw that too. Thanks for posting so poignantly.