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Article: The doctor is in--or out? The case of Sen. Tom Coburn, (would-be) citizen-legislator.(CAPITOL HILL)
- Article from:
- National Review
- Article date:
- November 21, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 National Review, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Tom Coburn, the obstetrician and Republican senator from Oklahoma, is still in the beginning of his first term. But he has already launched an unprecedented attack on his colleagues' pet pork projects, and is preparing to mount a challenge to an Ethics Committee that, rejecting the idea of the citizen-legislator, has forbidden him to continue treating some of his patients. In fighting these battles, the good doctor is tackling a chronic condition. His campaign against pork, privilege, and preening is a threat to the established order, and the chamber's old bulls are determined to tame the maverick in their midst before he can cure the Senate's sclerosis.
In late ...