Tom Coburn 984217 226181912 2008-07-17T05:26:45Z 70.240.48.236 {{Infobox Senator | name=Tom Coburn | image name=Tom Coburn official portrait.jpg | jr/sr=Junior Senator | state=[[Oklahoma]] | party=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | term_start=[[January 3]], [[2005]] | alongside=Jim Inhofe | preceded=[[Don Nickles]] | succeeded= | date of birth={{birth date and age|1948|03|14}} | place of birth=[[Casper, Wyoming]] | dead=alive | date of death= | place of death= | spouse=Carolyn Coburn | alma_mater=[[Oklahoma State University]] | religion=[[Southern Baptist|Baptist]] | state2=[[Oklahoma]] | district2={{ushr|Oklahoma|2|2nd}} | term_start2=[[January 4]], [[1995]] | term_end2=[[January 3]], [[2001]] | preceded2=[[Mike Synar]] | succeeded2=[[Brad Carson]] }} {{OKGovernment}} '''Thomas Allen "Tom" Coburn''', M.D. (born [[March 14]], [[1948]]) is an American [[politician]] and [[Physician|medical doctor]]. A member of the [[United States Republican Party|Republican Party]], he currently serves as the junior [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] from [[Oklahoma]]. ==Early life and career== Coburn was born in [[Casper, Wyoming]] to Anita Joy Allen and Orin Wesley Coburn,<ref>[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/senators/coburn.htm coburn<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and graduated with a B.S. in accounting from [[Oklahoma State University]], where he was also a member of [[Sigma Nu]] fraternity. In 1968, he married Carolyn Denton; their three daughters are Callie, Katie, and Sarah. After recovering from a case of malignant [[melanoma]] Coburn pursued a medical doctorate and graduated from the [[University of Oklahoma College of Medicine|University of Oklahoma Medical School]] in 1983. He then opened a medical practice in [[Muskogee, Oklahoma]], and served as a [[deacon]] in a [[Southern Baptist Convention|Southern Baptist Church]]. Coburn is one of only two licensed doctors currently serving in the US Senate. During his career in [[obstetrics]], he has treated over 15,000 patients and delivered 4,000 babies and was subject to one malpractice lawsuit.<ref>David Austin. ''"Delivering Babies and Legislation: The anatomy of Sen. Tom Coburn's maverick practice of politics"''. [[Urban Tulsa Weekly]], January 17, 2007</ref><ref>Clayton Bellamy, ''"Allegations of Medicaid fraud, sterilization haunt Senate candidate in Oklahoma"'', [[Associated Press]], September 15, 2004</ref> In 1994 he ran for the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] in Oklahoma's heavily [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[Oklahoma Congressional Districts|2nd Congressional District]], which was based in Muskogee and included 22 counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Coburn initially expected to face eight-term incumbent [[Mike Synar]]. However, Synar was defeated in a runoff for the Democratic nomination by 71-year-old retired [[principal (school)|principal]], Virgil Cooper. According to Coburn's book ''Breach of Trust'', Coburn and Cooper got along very well and both had a dislike for the liberal Mike Synar. The general election was very cordial since both men knew Synar would not be returning to Washington regardless of the outcome. Coburn won by a 52%–48% margin, becoming the first Republican to represent the district since 1921. ==Political career== ===House career=== [[Image:Breachoftrust.JPG|thumb|left|''Breach of Trust'']] Coburn was considered one of the "true believers" in the Republican freshman class of 1995, and was one of the most [[conservatism|conservative]] members of the House. He supported reducing the size of the [[federal budget]] and opposed [[abortion]] and supported the proposed [[V-chip]] legislation. Despite representing a heavily Democratic district, Coburn was reelected in [[1996]] (even as [[Bill Clinton]] easily carried the district) and 1998 without difficulty.<ref>[http://www.ok.gov/~elections/96gsum.html Current Election Results<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.ok.gov/~elections/98gen.html General Election Results 11/3/98<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> While he served in the House, he earned a reputation as a maverick due to his frequent battles with [[Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives|House Speaker]] [[Newt Gingrich]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Most of these stand-offs stemmed from his belief that the Republican caucus was moving toward the [[political left]] and away from the more conservative "[[Contract With America]]" policy proposals that had placed the Republicans into power in Congress in 1994 for the first time in 40 years. Specifically, Coburn was concerned that the Contract's [[term limit]]s had not been implemented, and that the Republicans were continuing the excessive federal spending (also called [[pork barrel]] spending) that they had so vigorously opposed when the Democrats were in the majority.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} Coburn endorsed conservative activist and former diplomat [[Alan Keyes]] in the [[United States presidential election, 2000|2000 Republican presidential primaries]], although he supported [[George W. Bush]] after the nomination was sewn up. Coburn's congressional district returned to the Democratic fold, as attorney [[Brad Carson]] easily defeated a Republican endorsed by Coburn. After leaving the House and returning to private [[medicine|medical practice]], Coburn wrote a book in 2003, with [[ghostwriter]] John Hart, about his experiences in Congress called ''[[Breach of Trust (book)|Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders]].'' The book detailed Coburn's perspective on the internal Republican Party debates over the "Contract With America" and displayed his disdain for career politicians. Some of the figures he criticized (such as Gingrich) were already out of office at the time of publishing, but others (such as former House Speaker [[Dennis Hastert]]) remained very influential in Congress, which resulted in speculation that some congressional Republicans wanted no part of Coburn's return to politics. ===Senate career=== In 2004, Coburn chose to challenge the establishment Republican candidate for the open Senate seat being vacated by [[Don Nickles]]. Former [[Oklahoma City]] Mayor [[Kirk Humphreys]] (the favorite of the state and national Republican establishment) and Corporation Commissioner [[Bob Anthony]] joined the field before Coburn. However, Coburn easily won the primary with 61% of the vote over Humphreys' 25%. In the general election, he faced [[Brad Carson]], a Democrat who had succeeded him in the 2nd District who was giving up his seat after only two terms. During the Senate campaign, Coburn said that the homosexual agenda was the biggest threat to American freedom.<ref name="salon">{{cite news | url = http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/09/13/coburn/index.html | last = Schlesinger | first = Robert | title = Medicine man | publisher = [[Salon.com]] | date = [[2004-09-13]] | accessdate = 2005-07-16 }}</ref> Coburn emphasized fighting pork and corruption in Washington. His focus on cutting spending and his maverick reputation for fighting the bipartisan practice of special interest pork barreling won him many supporters who disagreed with him on other issues. He also promised to maintain his medical practice in Muskogee and return there during the weekend as he had while serving in the House. In the election, Coburn won by a margin of 53% to Carson's 42%. While Carson routed Coburn in the heavily Democratic 2nd District, Coburn swamped Carson in the [[Oklahoma City]] metropolitan area and the closer-in [[Tulsa]] suburbs. Coburn won the state's two largest counties, [[Tulsa County|Tulsa]] and [[Oklahoma County|Oklahoma]], by a combined 86,000 votes — more than half of his overall margin of 166,000 votes. Coburn's Senate voting record is as conservative as his House record. He received a perfect 100% rating from the [[American Conservative Union]] for the year 2005. ====Committee membership==== After taking office in January 2005, Coburn, along with fellow conservative Sam Brownback, was selected to serve on the [[Senate Judiciary Committee]]. Coburn is a rare non-attorney on the Judiciary Committee. On [[April 19]], [[2007]], Coburn became the first Republican on the [[Senate Judiciary Committee]] to call for the firing of Attorney General [[Alberto Gonzales]] as a result of the [[Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy|controversy]] concerning the dismissal of eight [[United States Attorney|United States Attorneys]].<ref>{{cite web | date = [[2007-04-19]] | title = White House insiders: Gonzales hurt himself before panel | accessdate = 2007-04-20 | url = http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/19/gonzales.testimony/index.html }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | date = [[2007-04-19]] | title = Dr. Coburn Calls for Resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales | accessdate = 2007-04-20 | url = http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=0bb40383-802a-23ad-45db-847b124fbe92 }}</ref> Senator Coburn is a member of the following committees: *'''[[United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions|Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions]]''' **[[United States Senate Health Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety|Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety]] *'''[[United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs|Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs]]''' **[[United States Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security|Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security]] (Ranking Member) **[[United States Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations|Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations]] **[[United States Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia|Subcommittee on Oversight of Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia]] *'''[[United States Senate Committee on Indian Affairs|Committee on Indian Affairs]]''' *'''[[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|Committee on the Judiciary]]''' **[[United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law|Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law]] (Ranking Member) **[[United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights|Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights]] **[[United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs|Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs]] **[[United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security|Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security]] Since April 2007, Senator Coburn has been holding the Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act (S.274) from becoming law. This bill relates to so-called "[[whistleblowing]]," and would effectively reverse the Supreme Court's decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos, 04-473<ref>[http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/05/30/national/w132119D75.DTL&type=politics High Court Trims Whistleblower Rights<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. (Coburn has also placed a hold on final Senate consideration of a measure passed by the House in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings to improve state performance in checking the federal watch list of gun buyers.<ref>{{cite news | title = Gun Games in the Senate | publisher = The New York Times | date= 2007-10-01 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/01/opinion/01mon3.html}}</ref>) ==Political positions== ===Iraq War Appropriations=== On May 24, 2007 the US Senate voted 80-14 to fund the war in Iraq. Coburn voted nay.<ref>[http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00181 U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> On October 1, 2007 the US Senate voted 92-3 to fund the war in Iraq. Coburn voted nay.<ref>[http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00359 U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> In February 2008, Coburn said, "I will tell you personally that I think it was probably a mistake going to Iraq."<ref>[http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080221_1_A1_spanc13621 Tulsa World: Coburn declines to elaborate on Iraq War statement<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Abortion=== In 2000, Coburn sponsored a bill to prevent the [[Food and Drug Administration]] from developing, testing or approving the [[abortifacient]] [[RU-486]]. On July 13, the bill failed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 182 to 187.<ref>{{cite web | accessdate = 2006-07-15 | title = RU-486 Abortion Pill: Developments during 1999 & 2000 | url = http://www.religioustolerance.org/aboru486a.htm }}</ref> On the issue, Coburn sparked controversy with his remark, "I favor the death penalty for abortionists and other people who take life."<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62348-2004Dec13.html Democrats, Abortion and 'Alfie' (washingtonpost.com)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Coburn also objects to legal abortion in cases of [[rape]], and he has justified his position by noting that his great-grandmother was raped by a sheriff.<ref>{{cite news | last = Quindlen | first = Anna | url = http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6542344/site/newsweek/ | title = Life Begins at Conversation | publisher = [[Newsweek]] | accessdate = 2006-07-15 }}</ref> In the U.S. Senate confirmation hearings concerning [[Samuel Alito]], Coburn asserted that his grandmother was a product of that rape. ===Fiscal conservatism=== In October 2005, Coburn, a staunch fiscal conservative, made several attempts to combat [[pork barrel]] spending in the federal budget. The best-known of these was an amendment to the fiscal 2006 appropriations bill that funds transportation projects.<ref>[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.03058: Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Coburn's amendment would have transferred funding from the infamous [[Gravina Island Bridge|Bridge to Nowhere]] in [[Alaska]] to rebuild Louisiana's "Twin Spans" bridge, which was devastated by [[Hurricane Katrina]]. The amendment was defeated in the Senate, 82-14, after [[Ted Stevens]], the senior senator from Alaska, threatened to resign his office if the amendment was passed. Coburn's actions did result in getting the funds made into a "block grant" to the State of Alaska, which can use the funds for the bridge or other projects. Coburn is also a member of the [[Fiscal Watch Team]], a group of seven senators led by [[John McCain]], whose stated goal is to combat wasteful government spending.<ref>{{cite web | date = [[2005-10-25]] | title = McCain calls for spending offsets to ensure fiscal responsibility | accessdate = 2006-07-15 | url = http://mccain.senate.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=NewsCenter.ViewPressRelease&Content_id=1618 }}</ref> On [[April 6]] [[2006]], Coburn and Senators [[Barack Obama]], [[Thomas Carper]] and [[John McCain]] introduced <ref name=s2590introduced>{{cite web | url = http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2006_record&page=S3239&position=all: | title = Congressional Record Senate April 6 2006 S3239}}</ref> the [[Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006]]. The bill would require the full disclosure of all entities or organizations receiving federal funds beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2007 on a website maintained by the [[Office of Management and Budget]]. The bill was signed into law on [[September 26]] [[2006]]. Coburn, along with [[Arizona]] Senator [[John McCain]], has introduced legislation to attempt to reduce overall [[United States federal budget|federal government spending]] by requiring U.S. Senators to vote, individually, on federal budget [[earmarking|earmarks]]. Coburn and McCain recently noted that the practice of members of Congress adding earmarks (and thus, increasing government spending) has risen dramatically over the years, from 121 "earmarks" in 1987 to 15,268 earmarks in 2005, according to the [[Congressional Research Service]]. In July 2007, Coburn criticized [[pork barrel spending]] fellow Senator [[Ben Nelson]] had inserted into the 2007 defense spending bill. Coburn alleged that the earmarks would benefit Nelson's son Patrick's employer with millions in federal dollars and that the situation violated terms of the Transparency Act, which was passed by the Senate but has not yet been voted on in the House. Nelson's spokesperson said the Senator did nothing wrong.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,290532,00.html|title= Omaha Company's Windfall, Hiring of Lawmaker's Son Irks Senator|accessdate=2007-07-24 |author= Brendan Dougherty, Michael|publisher= ''Fox News''|date= 2007-07-24}}</ref> At that time, newspapers in Nebraska and Oklahoma noted that Coburn failed to blast very similar earmarks that benefited Oklahoma. <ref>^ Omaha World Herald editorial 8/16/2007, The Oklahoman 8/6/2007, Senator attacks ‘pork’; State avoids extra trims from Coburn</ref> ===Genetic discrimination and HIV prevention=== According to the Boston Globe, Tom Coburn has blocked passage of the [[Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act]] (GINA), a bill that would prevent health insurers and employers from using genetic information in decisions of employment or insurability. This bill passed the house with a majority of 420:3 in April 2007, and has twice been passed unanimously by the senate.<ref name=nature>[http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7180/full/451745b.html Genetics benefits at risk: A rogue senator needs to be bypassed] ''Nature'' 451, 745-746 (14 February 2008) DOI 10.1038/451745b</ref> However, Senator Coburn objected to provisions in the bill that allow discrimination based on genetic information from embryos and fetuses. Recently, the Boston Globe stated that the embryo loophole has been closed, and that Tom Coburn is reevaluating his opposition to the bill.<ref name="Tom Coburn's position on the Genetic Discrimination Bill">[http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2007/05/02/discrimination_in_the_genes/ Boston Globe: Tom Coburn's position on the Genetic Discrimination Bill]</ref> His continued opposition to the genetic nondiscrimination bill has caused him to be described as a "rogue senator" in an editorial in the scientific journal ''[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]''.<ref name=nature/> In 1997, Coburn introduced a bill called the [[HIV Prevention Act of 1997]], which would have amended the [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security Act]]. The bill would have mandated [[HIV test]]ing in some situations, would have allowed [[physician]]s to demand an HIV test before providing medical care, and would have allowed insurance companies to demand an HIV test as a condition of issuing [[health insurance]].<ref>[http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c105:H.R.1062: Text of HIV Prevention Act], accessed 14 Sept 2006.</ref> ===Block of Rachel Carson commemoration=== On [[May 23]], [[2007]], Coburn threatened to block two bills honoring the 100th birthday of [[Rachel Carson]]. Coburn called Carson's work "[[junk science]]", proclaiming that ''[[Silent Spring]]'' "was the catalyst in the deadly worldwide stigmatization against insecticides, especially [[DDT]]."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://coburn.senate.gov/ffm/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.NewsStories&ContentRecord_id=b46c952e-802a-23ad-498f-4406252b12f8 | title = Dr. Coburn Stands for Science:Opposes Congressional efforts to honor debunked author linked to failed global malaria control | last = Coburn | first = Tom | date = [[2007-05-22]] | publisher = [[ Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security]] | accessdate = 2007-05-23 }}</ref> ==Controversies== ===Allegations of non-consensual sterilization and Medicaid fraud=== A [[Sterilization (surgical procedure)|sterilization]] Coburn performed on a 20-year-old woman in 1990 became what was called "the most incendiary issue" of his Senate campaign.<ref>[[Michael Barone]] with [[Richard E. Cohen]], ''[[The Almanac of American Politics]]'', 2006, page 1370</ref> Coburn performed the sterilization on the woman during an emergency surgery to treat a life-threatening [[ectopic pregnancy]], removing her intact [[fallopian tube]] as well as the one damaged by the surgery. The woman sued Coburn, alleging that he did not have consent to sterilize her, while Coburn claimed he had her oral consent. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed with no finding of liability on Coburn's part. The state attorney general claimed that Coburn committed [[Medicaid]] fraud by not reporting the sterilization when he filed a claim for the emergency surgery. Medicaid did not reimburse doctors for sterilization procedures for patients under 21, and according to the attorney general, Coburn would not have been reimbursed at all had he not withheld this information. Coburn says since he did not file a claim for the sterilization, no fraud was committed. No charges were filed against Coburn for this claim. <ref>Clayton Bellamy, "Allegations of Medicaid fraud, sterilization haunt Senate candidate in Oklahoma", [[Associated Press]], September 15, 2004</ref><ref>Ron Jenkins, "Attorney general says Senate candidate committed fraud", Associated Press, October 14, 2004</ref><ref>Lois Romano, "Woman Who Sued Coburn Goes Public; She Calls GOP Candidate's Remarks on Case 'Not True'", ''[[Washington Post]]'', September 17, 2004</ref><ref name="salon">{{cite news | url = http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/09/13/coburn/index.html | last = Schlesinger | first = Robert | title = Medicine man | publisher = [[Salon.com]] | date = [[2004-09-13]] | accessdate = 2005-07-16 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3827/is_200409/ai_n9415889 | title = Coburn Badgered With Dismissed Suit | last = Gizzi | first = John | date = [[2004-09-27]] | publisher = [[Human Events]] | accessdate = 2006-07-16 }}</ref><ref>''[[Meet the Press]]'', [[NBC]], October 3, 2004</ref><ref>''[[Hannity & Colmes]]'', [[Fox News]], September 24, 2004</ref><ref>''[[Capital Gang]]'', [[CNN]], October 2, 2004</ref><ref>Sheryl Gay Stolberg, "Old Suit Roils Senate Race In Oklahoma", ''[[New York Times]]'', September 15, 2004</ref><ref>"Tom Coburn, the Republican Senate candidate from Oklahoma, is a strong conservative.", ''[[National Review]]'', Oct 11, 2004 v56 i19 p8</ref><ref>"Nose to nose, and glaring; Oklahoma's Senate race", ''[[The Economist]]'', Oct 9, 2004 v373 i8396 p29</ref> ===Homosexuality=== According to ''[[The American Prospect]],'' during Coburn's 2004 senatorial campaign, he quoted a local resident that in the town of [[Coalgate, Oklahoma]], "Lesbianism is so rampant in some of the schools in Southeast Oklahoma that they'll only let one girl go to the bathroom. Now think about it."<ref>{{cite news | last = Pierce | first = Charles P. | title = In Praise of Oklahoma | publisher = [[The American Prospect]] | url = http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=9236 | date = [[2005-02-23]] | accessdate = 2006-07-16 }}</ref> School officials have denied his statement.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/10/11/politics2023EDT0704.DTL sfgate.com]</ref> Coburn has also been quoted as saying: {{cquote|"The [[gay community]] has infiltrated the very centers of power in every area across this country, and they wield extreme power... That agenda is the greatest threat to our freedom that we face today. Why do you think we see the rationalization for abortion and multiple sexual partners? That's a [[gay agenda]]."<ref name="salon">{{cite news | url = http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/09/13/coburn/index.html | last = Schlesinger | first = Robert | title = Medicine man | publisher = [[Salon.com]] | date = [[2004-09-13]] | accessdate = 2005-07-16 }}</ref>}} ===Roberts confirmation hearings=== On [[September 14]], [[2005]], during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee [[John Roberts]], Coburn began his opening statement with a critique of [[Inside the Beltway|Beltway]] partisan politics while, according to news reports, "choking back a sob."<ref name="WP">{{cite news | last = Milbank | first = Dana | publisher = [[The Washington Post]] | title = A Day of Firsts, Overshadowed | date = [[2005-09-13]] | page = A07 | accessdate = 2006-07-16 | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/12/AR2005091200916.html }}</ref> Coburn had earlier been completing a [[crossword puzzle]] during the hearings,<ref name="WP"/> and this fact was used by ''[[The Daily Show]]'' to ridicule Coburn's [[pathos]].<ref>{{cite web | work = [[Crooks and Liars]] | title = TDS on the Roberts Hearing | date = [[2005-09-14]] | accessdate = 2006-07-16 | url = http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/09/14.html#a4950 }}</ref> Coburn then began his questioning by revealing his confusion regarding the various legal terms bandied about during the previous day's hearings. Proceeding to questions regarding both abortion and end-of-life issues, Coburn, who noted that during his tenure as an [[obstetrician]] he had delivered some 4,000 babies, asked Roberts whether the judge agreed with the proposition that "the opposite of being dead is being alive." {{cquote|You know I'm going somewhere. One of the problems I have is coming up with just the common sense and logic that if brain wave and heartbeat signifies life, the absence of them signifies death, then the presence of them certainly signifies life. And to say it otherwise, logically is [[schizophrenia|schizophrenic]]. And that's how I view a lot of the decisions that have come from the Supreme Court on the issue of abortion.<ref>{{cite news | title = Transcript: Day Three of the Roberts Confirmation Hearings | date = [[2005-09-14]] | publisher = [[The Washington Post]] | accessdate = 2006-07-16 | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/14/AR2005091401445.html }}</ref>}} ===Whistleblower Protection Act of 2007=== Senator Coburn has been in the center of the Bush Administration's struggle with Congress over extending the rights of government whistleblowers. The [[U.S. Supreme Court]] dealt a major blow to government whistleblowers when, in the case of [[Garcetti v. Ceballos]], 04-473, it ruled that [[Civil service|government employees]] did not have protection from retaliation by their employers under the [[First Amendment to the United States Constitution|First Amendment]] of the Constitution. [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/05/30/national/w132119D75.DTL&type=politics] The [[free speech]] protections of the First Amendment have long been used to shield whistleblowers from retaliation by whistleblower attorneys. In response to the Supreme Court decision, the [[United States House of Representatives|House]] passed H.R. 985, the Whistleblower Protection Act of 2007. President [[George W. Bush]], citing [[national security]] concerns, promised to [[veto]] the bill should it be enacted into law by Congress. The Senate's version of the Whistleblower Protection Act (S. 274) was approved by the [[Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs]] on June 13, 2007. However, it has yet to reach a vote by Senate as a hold has been placed on the bill by Senator Coburn.[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Whistleblower_Protection_Enhancement_Act_of_2007] Coburn's hold effectively prevents passage of the bill, which has broad bipartisan support in the Senate. In fact, support for the bill may be so broad in both houses of Congress, it may be veto-proof. According to the National Whistleblower Center, Coburn's hold is an example of a right-wing Senator enacting President Bush's agenda while frustrating a majority.*[http://www.capwiz.com/whistleblowers/issues/alert/?alertid=9904676] Ironically, Senator Coburn's own Web site features a news item about [[United Nations]] whistleblower Mathieu Credo Koumoin, a former employee for the U.N. Development Program in West Africa, who has asked U.N. ethics chief Robert Benson for protection under the U.N.'s new whistleblower protection rules.[http://coburn.senate.gov/ffm/index.cfm?FuseAction=LatestNews.NewsStories&ContentRecord_id=f09bd6ec-802a-23ad-4eb0-42438be6a04f] The Web site has a link to the "United Nations Watch" of the Republican Office of the [[United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs|Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs]]' Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security, of which he is the ranking minority member.[http://coburn.senate.gov/ffm/index.cfm?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_Id=d8119d38-90fd-4090-8f9e-b1b7c24cd14e] Coburn's Web site also features a tip line for potential whistleblowers on government waste and fraud.[[http://coburn.senate.gov/ffm/index.cfm?FuseAction=SubmitATip.Home]] ===''Schindler's List'' television broadcast=== As a congressman in [[1997]], Coburn protested [[NBC]]'s plan to air the [[MPAA film rating system|R-rated]] [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning [[Holocaust]] drama ''[[Schindler's List]]'' during prime time. Coburn stated that, in airing the movie without editing it for television, TV had been taken "to an all-time low, with full-frontal [[nudity]], [[violence]] and [[profanity]]." He also said the TV broadcast should outrage parents and decent-minded individuals everywhere. Coburn described the airing of ''Schindler's List'' on television as "...irresponsible sexual behavior...I cringe when I realize that there were children all across this nation watching this program." Since the film deals mainly with the [[Holocaust]], many people showed disgust with this statement, including a number of fellow Republican Congressmen who criticized Coburn in their speeches. Coburn apologized after heavy criticisms "to all those I have offended" and clarified that he agreed with the movie being aired on television, but stated that it should have been on later in the evening. In apologizing, Coburn said that at that time of the evening there are still large numbers of children watching without parental supervision, and stated that he stood by his message of protecting children from violence, but had expressed it poorly. He also said, "my intentions were good, but I've obviously made an error in judgment in how I've gone about saying what I wanted to say." He later wrote in his book ''Breach of Trust'' that he considered this one of the biggest mistakes in his life and that, while he still feels the material was unsuitable for an 8 p.m. television broadcast, he handled the situation poorly. ==Electoral history== {| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%" |+ {{ushr|Oklahoma|2|}}: Results 1994&ndash;1998<ref name="clerkresults">{{cite web |url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html |title=Election Statistics |accessdate=2007-08-08 |publisher=Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives }}</ref> !|Year ! !|Democrat !|Votes !|Pct ! !|Republican !|Votes !|Pct ! !|3rd Party !|Party !|Votes !|Pct ! |- |[[U.S. House election, 1994|1994]] | |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|[[Virgil R. Cooper]]}} |{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |75,943 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |48% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} |{{nowrap|'''Tom A. Coburn'''}} |{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |82,479 |{{Party shading/Republican}} |52% | | | | | | |- |[[U.S. House election, 1996|1996]] | |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|[[Glen D. Johnson (1996 candidate)|Glen D. Johnson]]}}<!-- Is this the son or something? Don't even know a good disambiguator, since "Oklahoma politician" doesn't work.--> |{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |90,120 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |45% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} |'''Tom A. Coburn''' |{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |112,273 |{{Party shading/Republican}} |55% | | | | | | |- |[[U.S. House election, 1998|1998]] | |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |{{nowrap|[[Kent Pharaoh]]}} |{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |59,042 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |40% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} |'''Tom A. Coburn''' |{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |85,581 |{{Party shading/Republican}} |58% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} |Albert Jones |{{Party shading/Independent}} |[[Independent (politician)|Independent]] |{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |3,641 |{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |2% | {{end box}} {| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em ; font-size:95%" |+ [[List of United States Senators from Oklahoma|Oklahoma Senator (Class III)]] results: 2004<ref name="clerkresults" /> !|Year ! !|Democrat !|Votes !|Pct ! !|Republican !|Votes !|Pct ! !|3rd Party !|Party !|Votes !|Pct ! |- |[[U.S. Senate election, 2004|2004]] | |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |[[Brad Carson]] |{{Party shading/Democratic}} align="right" |596,750 |{{Party shading/Democratic}} |41% | |{{Party shading/Republican}} |'''Tom A. Coburn''' |{{Party shading/Republican}} align="right" |763,433 |{{Party shading/Republican}} |53% | |{{Party shading/Independent}} |Sheila Bilyeu |{{Party shading/Independent}} |[[Independent (politician)|Independent]] |{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |86,663 |{{Party shading/Independent}} align="right" |6% | {{end box}} ==Footnotes== {{reflist}} == External links == ;Official sites *[http://coburn.senate.gov/ United States Senator Tom Coburn] official Senate site *[http://www.coburnforsenate.com/ Coburn for Senate] official campaign site {{CongLinks | congbio = c000560 | fec = S4OK00174 | opensecrets = N00005601 | votesmart = CNIP8018 | ontheissuespath = Senate/Tom_Coburn.htm}} *[http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/tom_coburn/index.html New York Times — Tom Coburn News] collected news and commentary *[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Tom_Coburn SourceWatch Congresspedia — Tom Coburn] profile ;Media coverage *[http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_5318 HI, I’M SENATOR COBURN, AND I DON’T WANT YOUR VOTE], Wil S. Hylton, ''[[GQ]]'', February 2007 *[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6575289137237183136 Video of the 2004 Walt Haskins campaign ad] (via [[Google Video]]) *[http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/siteSearch/apstorysection/local_story_338203925.html Second Chance Act supporters want senator’s support] *[http://www.muskogeephoenix.com/opinion/local_story_343191424.html Coburn: Second Chance Act needs work before passage] *[http://okimc.org/oscailt/newswire.php?story_id=2059 Second Chance Act held from Senate Vote, due to Oklahoma Senator] *[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/11/AR2006021101024.html "The Senate's Dr. No"], [[George Will]], ''[[Washington Post]]'', February 12, 2006 *[http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110007950 Senator Tom Coburn's Article Concerning Earmarks in the Wall Street Journal] *[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/30/opinion/30thu3.html Locked, Loaded and Looney], ''The New York Times'', August 30, 2007 {{s-start}} {{s-par|us-hs}} {{USRSB |state=Oklahoma |district=2 |before=[[Mike Synar]] | years=1995 – 2001 | after=[[Brad Carson]]}} {{s-par|us-sen}} {{U.S. Senator box |state=Oklahoma |class=3 |before=[[Don Nickles]] | start=2005 | alongside=[[Jim Inhofe]]}} {{end box}} {{OK-FedRep}} {{USSenOK}} {{OKRepresentatives}} {{Current U.S. Senators}} {{Persondata |NAME=Coburn, Thomas Allen |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |SHORT DESCRIPTION=Medical doctor, politician |DATE OF BIRTH=[[March 14]], [[1948]] |PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Casper, Wyoming|Casper]], [[Wyoming]], [[United States of America]] |DATE OF DEATH= |PLACE OF DEATH= }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Coburn, Tom}} [[Category:1948 births]] [[Category:Current members of the United States Senate]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Casper, Wyoming]] [[Category:Oklahoma State University alumni]] [[Category:University of Oklahoma alumni]] [[Category:People from Muskogee, Oklahoma]] [[Category:Physicians in the United States Congress]] [[Category:Baptists from the United States]] [[Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma]] [[Category:Oklahoma politicians]] [[Category:People from Oklahoma]] [[Category:Promise Keepers]] [[Category:United States Senators from Oklahoma]] [[fr:Tom Coburn]] [[nl:Tom Coburn]] [[no:Tom Coburn]] [[pl:Tom Coburn]] [[ru:Кобурн, Том]] [[fi:Tom Coburn]] [[sv:Tom Coburn]]