No matter how much explaining Democratic Senator Evan Bayh does about retiring from the senate, there is simply no explaining away how clueless he appeared announcing it on Presidents’ Day. Obviously he wanted to go out with as much pomp and circumstance that he could for himself, or he would have at least waited a day.
Thus, we watched Senator Bayh give his last parting gift to the president – a president he served from his own party. At best, it was horribly rude; at worst, it was the most boneheaded move anyone could think of. (Apologies to Sarah Palin for saying “boneheaded.” Who knows what will tick her off.)
Regardless if he weighed his chances for reelection and concluded it was best for him to retire, couldn’t he have done it with some dignity and class by waiting until the time was right?
Bayh’s blather about, “I do not love Congress,” and “There is too much partisanship, and not enough progress,” only speaks of his own failures as a senator. Does he really believe he can dust his hands of the problems in Congress and magically turn into a spectator? Any criticism he has about Congress goes right back to the source of the problem – himself. He was there, wasn’t he? Or was he the quintessential “warm body?”
I hope he enjoyed the limelight yesterday making his big announcement about his decision to retire. Because today in retrospect, he just magnified his weakness as a senator, and worse, he magnified his lack of common sense as a loser.
@February 2010 Reiko Eoh
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