Kentucky U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning doesn't make a stump speech without mentioning his kids and his grandkids.

        He and his wife, Mary, have nine children and 35 grandchildren. That's more than a family — it's a precinct.

        If you've ever met any of the Bunning children, then you know that the couple sure did something right when it came to raising them.

        But does there come a time when being proud of a child or grandchild crosses too far into the realm of politics and policy?

        Mr. Bunning's youngest son, David, is a 35-year-old assistant U.S. attorney who works out of the federal Courthouse in Covington. By most accounts, he has done an excellent job in the decade he has held the position.

        But Mr. Bunning — a Southgate Republican — is trying to help his son get a job as a federal judge, a plum gig that is a lifetime presidential appointment currently paying $142,000 a year.

        Mr. Bunning and Kentucky's other U.S. senator, Louisville Republican Mitch McConnell, recommended earlier this year that President Bush nominate David Bunning for the federal judgeship opening this year in Covington.

        Mr. Bush did so, passing over many other potential candidates — who were largely viewed, in the legal community, as more experienced and better qualified than the younger Mr. Bunning.

        Since federal judicial appointments require Senate approval, David Bunning has been preparing for a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, a key step in winning that coveted confirmation.

        But earlier this month, the American Bar Association rated Mr. Bunning unqualified for the job. The lawyers' organization didn't say why, but its guidelines for a spot on the federal bench recommend that a lawyer have at least 12 years experience. Mr. Bunning has 10.

        The Senate is not bound by the ABA rating and can still confirm Mr. Bunning for the bench. Mr. Bunning's confirmation hearing has still not been scheduled.

        Lawyers around the federal Courthouse in Covington will tell you that while Mr. Bunning did a great job on criminal cases, he handled too few civil cases — the difficult lawsuits raising questions of federal law — to be truly qualified for the federal bench.

        Still, Jim Bunning is pressing for the Senate hearing on his son's nomination.

        Sen. Bunning was also the subject of some criticism for sending out a fund-raising letter ostensibly written by his 11-year-old grand son.

        “If you can please include a special gift of $500, $250, $100, $50 or even $25 ... I know it would mean a lot to grandpa,” the boy wrote in the letter.

        Roll Call, a Washington newspaper that covers Capitol Hill, called the letter shameless. It reported that “lobbyists were stunned ... to receive a bizarre fund-raising pitch tossed out by Sen. Jim Bunning.”

        For his part, the elder Mr. Bunning apologized for none of it. Not for recommending a federal judge appointment for his son, whom he calls qualified, nor for using his grandkids to raise campaign cash.

        Lots of pols use kids and grandkids in fund-raising appeals and campaign ads, Mr. Bunning said. And he's right, especially about the latter.

        E-mail at pcrowley@enquirer.com. Past columns at Enquirer.com/columns/crowley.

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