CARLSON:   Welcome back. He was once recognized as one of the 15 best trial lawyers in the country, an accolade that never mentioned his clients, many of them members of the mafia. From mob lawyer to politics, Oscar Goodman is now the mayor of Las Vegas. These days he spends his time defending lap dancing and officially endorsing a brand of gin for charity. What's next for Mayor Goodman? We'll ask. He joins us tonight from Las Vegas to talk about the politics of sin. Welcome Mayor Goodman. 
GOODMAN:   Great being here. 
CARVILLE:   All right, mayor, it's -- here -- this is the product that you have endorsed, right? Bombay Sapphire Gin? 
GOODMAN:   Well, as I say I'm in a dark hole here in las vegas. And I can't see what you have here. But if it's a blue bottle and it has a wonderful aroma coming out of it, you got the right product. 
CARVILLE:   That's why you were named one of the 15 best lawyers in America. 
GOODMAN:   The wonderful thing about it is when you put raisins in it and you drink it, it cures the gout. CARVILLE; I'll be doggone. That is amazing. And tell us about what happens to -- of course I to make a confession. This is my favorite politician in America. I had lunch with this man and he is the mayor of my favorite city and he is my favorite politician. But tell us some other good things about this Bombay Sapphire in addition to being able to cure the gout.    Well, the beautiful part about is we signed a contract with Bombay and the city got $100,000. Actually came to me, but I donated $50, 000 to needy children who really needed scholarships to go to a wonderful private school that my wife is involved with and $50,000 to go to our homeless coalition in order to address problems of homelessness. And they still owe me $5,000 for the retired teachers dinner. And if they welch on me there's no telling what brand I'll drink next. 
CARVILLE:   If they do, get some of your former clients to off them. 
GOODMAN:   Well, you know, I didn't say that. 
CARLSON:   Mayor Goodman, your decision to endorse a brand of liquor was controversial in some places, but I want to show you... 
GOODMAN:   It was? 
CARLSON:   Well, apparently the Las Vegas newspaper attacked you. But I want to show you something even more controversial than that. We have a tape of you dancing with Charo. I' m wondering if you explain this. Now there strikes me as something -- I'm not very judgmental. There's something wrong about that though. Dancing with Charo. 
GOODMAN:   No absolutely. Charo is wonderful. Charo is outstanding. We had a party down on Freemont Street Experience when I signed the contract with Bombay and we had Robin Leech was there with wonderful, beautiful statuesque women, almost as pretty as my wife and Charo was there. We danced, we kuci kucied together. Bill Acosta was there. There was a 21-band orchestra there. It was just the best. It got no better. 
CARLSON:   Well here's how the "Las Vegas Review-Journal" described your behavior. He's partying like he just won the liver transplant lotto. 
GOODMAN:   Well that's not bad is it? 
CARLSON:   No, it's a pretty good line. You think it's true? 
GOODMAN:   They had more people down there than any other time but New Year's Eve. It was a great party. Everyone had a blast. We were dancing on the streets, we were drinking, we were having a good time. That's what Las Vegas is all about and that's why I'm the quintessential Las Vegan. I do everything that Las Vegas is all about. I drink, sometimes to excess, but very carefully because we have designated drivers there that evening, and secondly I like to gamble with both fists. I will bet you in which way a cockroach will run. 
CARLSON:   What about lap dancing? Where are you on lap dancing? 
GOODMAN:   I had a little problem with that. The county, which is a separate municipal entity here, was saying that they had a problem. I thought they said laptops and I'm a great believer in as sophisticated technology in the 21st Century and I said, I'll take all your laptops into my city. Well, it turned out it was lap dancers. 
CARVILLE:   Well, as a Las Vegas visitor and a crap shooter, can I propose an ordnance that every casino has to give us 10 times odds on craps.  
GOODMAN:   Well, that's what they used to do on the Horseshoe. I hope they still do it and that's what Las Vegas is all about. 
CARVILLE:   Absolutely. No, too many of them just give you three, four and five. But next time I come out there, we'll have to -- I'll lobby you for that proposition of behalf of crap shooters everywhere. 
GOODMAN:   I like it. And you're coming out to the rodeo, are you not? 
CARVILLE:   Yes, sir. I just want to get one thing straight, Mayor (ph). I'm not coming to the rodeo. 
GOODMAN:   You're not. 
CARVILLE:   I want to get one thing straight here. You've been married to the same woman for how many years, Mayor? 
GOODMAN:   Forty years and four wonderful children, a doctor and two lawyers and a marketing specialist. 
CARVILLE:   And tell us in all seriousness, what is the biggest challenge you face as mayor of Las Vegas? 
GOODMAN:   Oh, not being taken too seriously. I love Las Vegas. I mean Las Vegas, to me, it's a dream. And being the mayor of Las Vegas is the greatest. And I take the job very seriously, but I don't take myself too seriously. And sometimes the media doesn't understand that. They should after 3.5 years and after seeing how the public, they buy into what I'm doing here. The main thing is to keep Las Vegas at the cutting edge, at the front of everybody's mind. When you're looking for freedom, when you're looking to escape, when you want to have a good time, when you want to do something that you're scared to do at home because you think people might be critical of you, where you want to go to the cusp of perhaps legality, this is the place for you. 
CARLSON:   All right. Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman. 
CARVILLE:     Mayor, all right. 
CARLSON:   We take you seriously, Mr. Mayor. Thanks for joining us. 
GOODMAN:   Thank you my friends. 
CARLSON:   Next, live from GW, it's the "Saturday Night Live" book guys. We'll talk political satire and politicians as guest hosts. Also ahead, our "Quote of the Day." Who could possibly say something nasty about CROSSFIRE? We'll reveal the person who said it. We'll be right back.
