For years U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe has kept a group's top 10 list of conservative senators in his office.
Inhofe would point to the eight-by-10-inch pewter frame and make sure it did not escape a visitor's notice that the No. 1 spot on the list was filled by none other than himself.
Taking the No. 2 spot was Oklahoma's other Republican senator, Tom Coburn.
The two men have served in the Senate together for several more years, and Coburn has used that time to attract national publicity to his anti-earmark campaign and the Senate rules to place holds on various bills introduced by others.
Still, Inhofe's bragging rights as the more conservative senator, at least in Oklahoma, has been confirmed by an independent source.
The National Journal has issued its annual ratings on key roll call votes, and Inhofe once again squeaks by his fellow Sooner.
In the magazine's composite ranking, Inhofe comes in as the eighth-most conservative member of the 100-member Senate.
Coburn takes the No. 11 spot.
On the three key areas used for the rankings, Inhofe led in the economic and social issues, but Coburn jumped ahead on foreign policy.
Freshman Republican Rep. Mary Fallin came in as the state delegation's most conservative member in the publication's ratings for the 435-member House of Representatives.
She was ranked 37th, followed by her fellow Oklahoma Republicans Tom Cole, 49th; John Sullivan, 59th; and Frank Lucas, 81st.
Rep. Dan Boren, the state's only Democrat in Congress, took the 196th spot on the conservative rankings and 234th on the liberal side of the rankings.
Jim Myers (202) 484-1424
jim.myers@tulsaworld.com
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