Noblese Oblige - Alive and Kicking
Fast forward to present day politics and we find the higher levels of government infested with careerists feeding at the public trough. The situation is not bad at the township or county levels of government but when we reach our State Legislature in Harrisburg or the Congress in Washington, the feeding frenzy at the public troughs is deafening and results in dysfunctional behavior. It is my contention that the dysfunction is caused by the career diet. Are there exceptions to this plague of careerists? Yes there are, and the remainder of this column is a bipartisan salute to the dwindling few.
James Webb(D) of Virginia and Tom Coburn(R) of Oklahoma are examples of elected U.S. Senators who viewed their twelve years in the Senate as an act of Noblesse Oblige . They are voluntarily stepping aside after doing their civic duty in an honorable fashion.
Jim Webb is a 1968 graduate of the United States Naval Academy where he received a commission as an officer in the Marine Corp. He was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, two Bronze stars, and two Purple Hearts while leading his platoon in heavy fighting in Vietnam.
Webb was displeased with the quality of novels describing ground combat in Vietnam. With no prior journalistic or professional writing experience he wrote the novel, “ Fields of Fire”, one of the best books to accurately describe ground combat in Vietnam. Webb has since written several other award winning books. He graduated with a Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown Law Center in 1975.
He served as Secretary of the Navy during the Reagan Administration. This is a perfect example of his view that civic duty should transcend partisan politics. Although considered liberal on many domestic issues he is critical of President Obama's handling of foreign affairs. He is my pick of the litter on the Democratic side of the aisle.
Tom Coburn graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1968 as an accounting major. Coburn engaged in a successful business career until returning to the University of Oklahoma Medical School where he graduated with honors in 1983. Dr Coburn then opened a family practice in Oklahoma where he has treated over 15 thousand patients and delivered over 4 thousand babies. He served in The U.S. House of representatives from 1994 to 2000 upholding his pledge to serve no more than three consecutive terms.
He returned to political life in 2004 to represent Oklahoma in the U.S. Senate. He has honored his pledge not to seek a third term in 2016 by submitting an irrevocable letter of resignation to the Oklahoma Governor. Despite his conservative philosophy, he and President Obama have sustained a mutual friendship that has endured despite their political differences. He has written several books including his award winning, “ The Debt Bomb”. He gets my vote for Best of Show on the Republican side of the aisle.
Both Senators could have easily won reelection in 2016 but feel it's time to pass the baton. Thank you gentlemen for your service to the country, both in and out of elected office.