Monday, November 7, 2005

Politics: Tom Coburn, MD/clairvoyant

Apparently Tom Coburn can read people's mind due to his medical training:

SEN. COBURN on Roberts: I've tried to use my medical skills of observation of body language to ascertain your uncomfortableness and ill at ease with questions and responses. I will tell you that I am very pleased both in my observational capabilities as a physician to know that your answers have been honest and forthright as I watch the rest of your body respond to the stress that you're under.

MR. RUSSERT: Do you believe as a physician you can tell whether a candidate for the Supreme Court is telling the truth?

SEN. COBURN: Mm-hm, I certainly have.

MR. RUSSERT: Has any--have you ever detected someone lying?

SEN. COBURN: Uh-huh, lots of times.
Wikipedia says Coburn graduated from OK State, but doesn't specify whether it means undergrad or medical school. A quick survey of the OK State medical curriculum does not reveal classes in lie detection. Maybe he did an away rotation. Or maybe this valuable educational asset was lost in subsequent curriculum revisions. Or maybe Coburn went to Voodoo Medical School in the Caribbean or something.

Geez, as if the rest of his resume wasn't already a sufficient disgrace to medicine and humanity.

Update: Coburn's Senate.gov page reveals he was a business major at OK State, but went to med school at OU, followed by a gen surg residency in Oklahoma and a family med residency in Arkansas. So basically, Tom Coburn has about the least impressive medical resume you could fathom for someone elected to national public office.

1 comment:

JHearne said...

My money is on the voodoo. It seems that all the money, nowadays, is in voodoo.