Playing With Fire, Getting Co-Burned

The role of Oklahoma GOP Sen. Tom Coburn in the John Ensign scandal may be the most interesting part of the story.  As I explained yesterday, Ensign ran for the hills and resigned barely ahead of the release of the ethics report that recommended his expulsion from the US Senate.  But, as Rachel Maddow explains, Coburn is still in the Senate even after doing crazy nonsense like this:



Sen. Coburn denied vehemently on a number of occasions that he played any role in this when the scandal broke.  Then he turned state's evidence against Ensign and cooperated with the FBI and the ethics investigation.  He swore that as an ordained minister and doctor (he's a OB/GYN) that he would never talk about "privileged" information.  Then he spilled his guts to the Feds.

And he admitted to the Feds that he was the negotiator between Ensign and the Hamptons, negotiating how much money it would take to make the Hamptons go away.

So my question is this:  Why is Sen. Tom Coburn still senator?  If you're an Oklahoman, is this the guy you want representing your state?

Keep an eye on Coburn.  That's the real battle.