7. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Senator Coburn has grossed out many a young Capitol Hill staffer with his pizza lunch briefings that feature a disturbingly-graphic slideshow of the ravages of sexually transmitted diseases.
Forcefully advocating abstinence is just one part of Coburn’s mission to strengthen Christian values in the government. Other controversial aspects include: supporting the death penalty for abortionists, decrying “rampant lesbianism,” blasting NBC for airing an unedited version of Schindler’s List, plotting a coup against former House Speaker Gingrich for being too liberal, and declaring that the nation “must stand for or against Christ” because “the Bible clearly tells us that it is impossible to stand in the middle.”
Like others on this list, Coburn is a close ally of noted Evangelical leader Dr. James Dobson, who advised Oklahomans to fast in the days leading up to his Senate election. Characteristically viewing policy through a Biblical lens, Coburn illustrated the magnitude of a billion dollars in a debate about excessive spending by pointing out, “A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive.”