PROMISES, PROMISES-- BYE-BYE TOM COBURN ? (KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED)

If I indicated this was going to be about a goofy far right loon senator from Oklahoma you'd have a 50% chance of knowing who I was talking about. But I'll come right out and tell you-- Tom Coburn. Before I hit you with the good news, let me warn you that I'd expect no less welching from Coburn than we're seeing from Susan Collins (R-ME) who promised to only run twice and is now embarking on her quest for a third term or from the L.A. Times' pet right-wing propagandist, Jonah Goldberg, who bet Professor Juan Cole $1,000 that by Feb, 2007 it will be clear that there would be no civil war in Iraq and that "a majority of Iraqis and Americans will... agree that the war was worth it." (He's refusing to pay.)

Anyway, Sunday Coburn told C-Span that if the ethics bill becomes law he won't seek re-election. Perhaps goaded at the prospect of getting rid of this annoying nut case, members from both parties stampeded to pass it. It passed with only Coburn and one other senator voting against it. "If this becomes law, I will guarantee you I won't run again. I'm not about to put what I've worked for for 35 years as a physician and a businessman at risk so I can represent the people. I will say 'I'm cashing it in. We've just imploded ourselves.'"

Unfortunately, Coburn's seat won't be up until 2010. The bills tough strictures against corruption are too much for Coburn, although, no doubt, most Republican pols have already figured out ways around everything in it. "Coburn said being a senator is difficult. 'This isn't a fun job,' he said. 'I mean I don't know anybody who really thinks this is that great of a job. It's not a fun job. It is a tremendously burdensome job, knowing that you can't change things to fix the future and you have to work every day to try to do that,' he said."

Meanwhile, another far right Republican, Georgia's Charlie Norwood has already left the building. He hasn't resigned yet but he's left DC and gone back to August to be with his family. Looking at his voting record since 1994 when he was first elected, it looks like he'll want to do a lot of repenting before he meets his Maker.