Marathon Pundit: Senate needs more Coburns

Sen. Tom Coburn, an obstetrician, is a self-described citizen legislator.

We need more citizen legistlators. Many more.

Coburn is one of the authors of the Patients' Choice Act of 2009, a much less expensive anwer to the Democrats' upcoming universal health care push.

He's a man who is clearly looking after the needs of taxpayers, as the Washington Times reports:

Despite being in the minority in a Senate that is more tilted to Democrats than at any time in the past three decades, Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, has gone head to head with Majority Leader Harry Reid - and won.

His secret: He doesn't care.

Mr. Coburn's nonchalance about his own political future has given him the freedom to be Capitol Hill's most outspoken fiscal hawk and guardian of the Constitution. Most recently, his persistence paid off as he was able to attach an amendment allowing licensed firearms in some federal parks to a consumer credit card bill last week.

"I don't go away. He's learned that," Mr. Coburn says of his frequent floor battles with Mr. Reid. "Since I don't care whether I get beat up or not, I'm really dangerous for him."