TIME Magazine released its annual TIME 100 list Thursday. Two U.S. Congressmen made the list: one, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. The other, Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn.
Each member of the list is afforded a few paragraphs, written by a colleague or friend, describing why that person deserves their appointment to the TIME 100. Coburn's summary was written by none other than the President of the United States, Barack Obama.
Despite identifying with a different political party, the president cited cooperation between he and Coburn as a strong part of their relationship:
"...we've bonded over family and faith. And we've harnessed our friendship and mutual respect to find places where we can agree and work together to move this country forward."
Coburn was one of only a handful of American government officials to be selected to the list. He was joined by Paul, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, Vice President Joe Biden, and President Obama. The president closed out his praise of Coburn with an anecdote concerning charges levied against Coburn by some Oklahoma constituents.
"After I took office, Tom received dozens of letters from Oklahomans complaining that we looked too close on TV. Tom's response was, 'How better to influence somebody than to love them?'"
