Law Firm's Green Record Gives Rudy Black Eye

Rudy Giuliani's affiliation with a big-name Houston law firm has been key to his fund-raising success, especially in Texas, but may be dangerous politically, the Times reports. Bracewell & Giuliani, which the former New York mayor joined in 2005, is one of the most prominent lobbyists for the heavy-polluting oil, gas, and energy industries.

With public sentiment turning green, most candidates want to distance themselves from the Bush administration's environmental record. Giuliani's affiliation with the firm—which the president of the League of Conservation Voters calls “perhaps the most anti-environment voice in Washington"—makes that difficult, but donations from Bracewell employees and clients may cushion the blow. (More Rudy Giuliani stories.)