Rep. Adam Putnam: A Thorn in the Speaker's Side

The NY Times "profiles" Rep. Adam Putnam, the 32 year old wunderkind who now sits a number 3 in the GOP leadership ranks.

Amid the sea of square jaws and swept-back gray hair in Congress, Representative Adam H. Putnam, a tousled redhead whose cherubic appearance still causes Capitol police to stop him occasionally, appears a bit out of place.

But Mr. Putnam, 32, a Florida Republican, has become the unlikely mouthpiece for the beleaguered minority in the House, taking over as chairman of the Republican Conference, the third-ranking post behind the minority leader and whip, as his party struggles to right itself.

Mr. Putnam, something of a political wunderkind who at 26 was one of the youngest members of Congress in decades when he was elected in 2000, has taken on the role of attack dog over the last three months.

Combining agility on the issues and controlled partisan outrage, he has helped lead Republicans in the debate over the war in Iraq, lambasted Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her use of a military jet to fly across country to her home district, and generally tried to eke out political points at every opportunity.

I met Putnam when he was making the PAC rounds in early 2000, meeting with various industry groups during his campaign. At that time what impressed me most was that he had a solid campaign plan and was not shy about telling groups what he thought, even while begging for their money. It was refreshing then and apparently that earnestness has paid off.

I think Putnam's most important job is getting the ideas flowing again. He also needs to get the opposition legislation machine working. For every significant bill the Dems offer, the GOP needs to offer an opposition bill that followed solid Republican ideals.