“Controversial” was an adjective inevitably applied to former Rep. Pete McCloskey, R-Calif., before, during, and after he served in Congress from 1967-82.

Indeed, going back to the 1967 special election in which McCloskey defeated one-time child star Shirley Temple Black in a nationally watched race, to his challenge to President Richard Nixon in the 1972 primaries, to his more recent bids for office, and public disputes over issues from Iraq to Israel, McCloskey seemed to be disputatious and unyielding in the public arena until his death Wednesday at age 96.

Indeed, McCloskey could easily have been dubbed a RINO (Republican In Name Only) had the term, used by many on the right now refer to Republicans whom they feel aren’t conservative enough, had it existed in his heyday.

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