Way back when, "politician" wasn't a career choice -- it was something that you did for a short period of time in between real, productive jobs. Of course, for at least the last century, it has become a career for many -- including anyone named "Kennedy."

However, there are still a few who hold on to the old ways -- that making laws is, at best a part-time, temporary job. One of those is Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, who is also a obstetrician. Coburn has been fighting the Senate for a couple of years now to allow him to earn just enough money on his medical practice to cover his malpractice insurance and other expenses -- Coburn does not want to make a profit.

Well, unfortunately there are currently too many Senators who see Coburn practicing medicine as an attack on the perception that they like to spread that senatoring is a more than full-time job. An article today on OpinionJournal.com by John Fund carries the subhed: "Why does Barbara Boxer want to stop him from delivering babies?"

I don't really know the answer to that question, though I oculd make some highly inflammatory guesses.

Let me merely point out that I believe Sen. Boxer's position on Coburn's medical practice would be noticeably different if Coburn was the only abortion provider in an 100-mile radius in rural Oklahoma.