Editor's Note: Frank Keating served as Governor of Oklahoma from January, 1995 through January 13th, 2003. He was succeeded by Governor Brad Henry. We here at Bubbaworld are leaving in place our "Bumble Frank Pages" in the interest of Oklahoma history.

Never let it be said that former Governor Frank Keating permitted Oklahoma politics to become boring. Hardly a month went by that our then Governor did not find a new way to either 'stir the pot' of Oklahoma politics, offend at least a portion of the populace of the state or cause the state a major embarrassment in the national news media.

Governor Keating did not start his first term in office as a bumbler. In fact,just a few months after assuming office, he demonstrated both great leadership and compassion in the aftermath of the tragic bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. News media images of Keating were flashed around the world and Keating was generally viewed as an outstanding governor in a time of remarkable crisis. Unfortunately this image of Governor Keating was short lived and over the course of his administration his approval rating has declined markedly, to the point that he was considered by many to be a liability rather than an asset for the state.

Much of the decline in Keating's approval rating owed to his uncanny knack for losing his temper and as a result speaking when he should keep his mouth shut, catering to the agenda of special interests groups (primarily the fundamental Christians) and his lame attempts at humor, which offend many people. This latter trait of the former Governor led the Tulsa World to ask:
"Will anyone Gov. Frank Keating hasn't offended please stand up. Is anyone standing?".

The infamous Keating temper surfaced and got the better of him during a news conference in which a reporter questioned the accuracy of statements by Keating, statements in which Keating falsely claimed that the CEO of a major corporation had personally told him that "eight of ten Oklahoma college graduates were unable to pass the corporation's employment test".

Keating became enraged, terminated the news conference and afterward grabbed the arm of Paul English of the Oklahoman and poked at Mr. English's chest and told him:

"The question is, is the information accurate? The answer to that is, yes. Enough said."

In spite of Keating denials of touching the reporter, the next day Keating's official spokesman revealed that the Governor had in fact "lost his cool" and and later apologized to the reporter. Deny doing something then apologize for doing it. This certainly sounds like the actions of a 'Bumbler' doesn't it? Certainly it's an action one would expect from a person that speaks or acts first then thinks about it later such as was the case with the following incidents:

In the midst of a debate with Democrats over "Right To Work" Keating said of the opposition:

To which one might add, "It's not every day that a state's governor declares the residents of the state "stupid" and "backward". Granted those folks that voted Keating into office, twice no less, may well fit the Governor's description, but the rest of us might consider ourselves in a bit higher regard than does our Governor.

In another bout of "Keating Speak", while addressing an audience at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Keating responded to a question as to how he would prefer to deal with the school teachers union. Keating smiled and replied:

"Homicide"

Needless to say, many found the Governor's attempt at "humor" offensive, so much so that Keating issued an apology just prior to the teachers union demanding one. A teacher's union spokesperson pointed out that such "humor" on the part of a teacher would likely result in the teacher's termination or if a student engaged in such "humor" they would likely be suspended. Evidently this was a lesson lost on Keating, as throughout the remainder of his term of office he continued his lame attempts at humor.

When the Governor wasn't busy offending people with his lame attempts at humor or jamming his finger into their chest, he spent part of his time over ruling the U.S. Supreme Court. This was the case during the Oklahoma Evolution Disclaimer Fiasco .

At the height of the debate over the Oklahoma Textbook Committee's 'Evolution Disclaimer' Governor Keating made the following public statement:

"On the other hand, I would say it would be unacceptable to say creation science should not be taught in public schools.".

Keating when reminded that the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled that 'Creationism' can not be taught in public schools immediately over ruled the Supreme Court by proclaiming and loud and proud:

"I Dissent"

In light of Keating's "dissent" one can logically conclude that he feels that he has both the power and authority to approve or disapprove rulings of the Supreme Court of the United States, at least as they apply here in Oklahoma.

Were this simple bluster on the Governor's part it would be one thing, however Keating's actions and responses throughout the 'Evolution Disclaimer' fiasco imply he considers Supreme Court rulings as mere suggestions, otherwise why would he support a position so clearly in opposition to the high court's ruling? This is a fascinating position taken by a person often mentioned as "on the very short list" of candidates for Attorney General in George W. Bush's first administration. Don't believe it? The fact that Keating was one of the Republican faithful called to Florida in the wake of that state's election fiasco in 2000 says a lot about the regard in which George W. Bush once held Frank Keating.

However in spite of all the rumors and speculation that Keating was in line for high office in the Bush administration, one should always remember that Frank Keating isn't called "BumbleFrank" for nothing. It turns out that when Bush staffers dug a little deeper into Keating's background they learned there was a skeleton in the closet.

The skeleton in Keating's closet was, to say the least a shocker. About a quarter million dollar shocker!

On January 15, 2001 "Newsweek" magazine reported in an article titled "Why Keating Didn't Cut It", that Keating had received almost $250,000 in "gifts" from Jack Dreyfus, founder of Dreyfus Mutual Funds over the course of the past 10 years.

Here's a snippet from the "Newsweek" article which reveals a bit more about Keating:

Only a few weeks ago, Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating had every reason to believe he'd soon be moving to Washington. Talk inside the Beltway had him topping the short list for attorney general. Having campaigned his heart out for Bush, Keating--an ex-FBI agent with a sterling law-enforcement resume--didn't hesitate to call Dick Cheney and volunteer for the job. "I don't think there's anybody who's better qualified to be attorney general," says the rarely bashful governor.

To which one might add, "and I'd bet that Jack Dreyfus would agree wholeheartedly."

As the "Dreyfus/Keating Scandal" has unfolded it has been revealed that Dreyfus had approached Keating while Keating was a federal employee in an effort to further Dreyfus's belief that the drug "Dilantin" was a miracle cure for many of the ills of society and particularly its prison inmates. Dreyfus claimed that Keating was the only government employee that had attempted to assist him in advocating the drug for uses which even its manufacture did not claim. In return for Keating's efforts Dreyfus has seen fit to present yearly gifts in the amount of $10,000 to the three Keating children, as well as their parents for a total of approximately $240,000. According to published news reports these "gifts" began while Keating was a federal employee and continued during the early years of Keating's term as Governor of Oklahoma.

In the midst of this breaking news, Dreyfus revealed that not only had he used the drug to control the "electricity" in his body but that he had encouraged both Frank Keating and his wife Cathy to use the drug also. According to statements from Keating and his staffers the drug was prescribed by a doctor for the treatment of "a sore neck". It has not yet been revealed whether it was Frank, Cathy or both Keatings that suffered from a "sore neck".

It has also been revealed that Keating has used his influence as Governor of Oklahoma to set up meetings between Oklahoma Department of Corrections staffers and Dreyfus in order that Dreyfus could make his pitch for "Dilantin" as a treatment for Oklahoma convicts.

Amid calls for an ethics investigation regarding to the "Keating/Dreyfus Scandal", Frank and Cathy Keating decided to bite the bullet and return the $250,000 to Dreyfus.

The Tulsa World reported the return of the money on 2/10/01 in an article titled, Keating returns Dreyfus' money".

Quoting that report:

Governor sends $250,000 check to the retired New York financier

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Seeking to dispel allegations of impropriety in gifts he and his family received, Gov. Frank Keating sent a $250,000 check Friday to retired New York financier Jack Dreyfus.

While my receipt of these gifts was legal and did not violate ethics rules, it is evident from public reaction that there are questions raised for which the answers, while truthful, apparently don't adequately dispel suggestions of impropriety," Keating said in a Friday letter to Dreyfus.

The Tulsa World report concluded with the following:

Keating has said Dreyfus asked for nothing in return for the gifts. But Keating did arrange for Dreyfus to meet with federal and state prison officials so Dreyfus could make a pitch for Dilantin as a treatment for inmates.

While Frank Keating seems to have difficulty understanding or at the very least admitting there's something very disturbing about his relationship with Mr. Dreyfus even we 'heathens' here at Bubbaworld understand the theory of quid pro quo.

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