The Freshmen

Renowned for his imperious cigar waving, Texas Democrat Jack Brooks for years walked the halls of Congress with the swagger of the invulnerable. Last summer, he barred Representative Bill McCollum, the Republicans’ designated negotiator, from talks on the crime bill, yelling, “Get out of here, Mac!” every time McCollum tried to enter the room.

During the televised Iran-Contra hearings in 1987, Brooks, then an 18-term congressman, held forth in his usual hectoring style, and people outside Washington got a chance to watch him in action. “I was appalled by his behavior,” says Steve Stockman, an accountant at the time. “I resolved that as long as Brooks continued to run, and as long as I’m alive, I’d continue to run against him.”

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Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry is the editor in chief of National Review.

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Renowned for his imperious cigar waving, Texas Democrat Jack Brooks for years walked the halls of Congress with the swagger of the invulnerable. Last summer, he barred Representative Bill McCollum, the Republicans’ designated negotiator, from talks on the crime bill, yelling, “Get out of here, Mac!” every time McCollum tried to enter the room.

During the televised Iran-Contra hearings in 1987, Brooks, then an 18-term congressman, held forth in his usual hectoring style, and people outside Washington got a chance to watch him in action. “I was appalled by his behavior,” says Steve Stockman, an accountant at the time. “I resolved that as long as Brooks continued to run, and as long as I’m alive, I’d continue to run against him.”