| A native of New York City. Former US Congressman from California, 1977-1983, and 1984-1997. A conservative's conservative. A former Air Force fighter pilot - that and his "Cold War Forever" stance saddled him with the name "B-1 Bob".
His "shoot from the hip" style probably scares a few people away; certainly when you realize "this mother's serious", you may run screaming. But that style has made him a never-dull speaker, whether on the floor of the House of Representatives (especially during Special Orders), the rubber-chicken circuit, or during one of his great stints as a substitute host on Rush Limbaugh's show. His on-air skills were honed as the host/producer of The Robert K. Dornan Show (et al) in the late-60s/early
70s.
One could perversely root for him, as he ran for president in 1996, hoping he'd add some spice to the quadrennial parade of over-programmed stuffed shirts; alas, there were no takers.
The changing demographics of his region of California bit him in the ass one day; his 1996 re-election bid (after dropping out of the presidential campaign) ended in a very long, loud defeat to Loretta Sanchez - a defeat prolonged by his insistence that his loss was due to vote fraud.
I always suspected he had a deal going on with Joe Moakley, a congressman from Massachusetts; one would have a beard, while the other was clean-shaven. One day Dornan would show up in front of the House cameras, newly-shorn; later that week, I'd see Moakley and his new facial-hair growth. Then a year or two later, the roles would reverse. I don't know.
I do know that Dornan was the reason God made C-SPAN. | 
