Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn Commits the Gambler's Fallacy

The exchange in the comments between Bill Gasarch and the author is excellent:

BG: "When I hear idiocy like this I wonder--- does Coburn KNOW he's wrong and says it as a thing one says as a politician (like when I say 'I know you can all prove this by induction') or does he actually believe it?"

HL: "That is a good question. My guess is he knows it isn't true, but it is political populism, spouting unscientific folk nonsense to be one of the people -- when it serves his political purpose, which is in this case to pooh pooh the need for government regulation. But it is also possible he really believes it -- he sounds convincing in the video, but of course that is how politicians make a living."

In particular, "he KNOWS he's wrong and says it as a thing one says as a politician" is a phrase look forward to using in future conversations.