Olympia Snowe to retire
 

Did anybody hear that Olympia Snow is calling it quits??


Maine Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe will not seek reelection in 2012, she announced Tuesday.

View Photo Gallery: A look at Sen. Olympia Snowe’s (R-Maine) career in Washington.

In announcing her plans, Snowe, 65, emphasized that she is in good health and was prepared for the campaign ahead. But she said she was swayed by the increasing polarization in Washington.

“Unfortunately, I do not realistically expect the partisanship of recent years in the Senate to change over the short term,” Snowe said in a statement. “So at this stage of my tenure in public service, I have concluded that I am not prepared to commit myself to an additional six years in the Senate, which is what a fourth term would entail.”

Snowe’s retirement represents a major setback for the GOP’s efforts to regain a majority in the Senate. As a moderate Republican, she may be the party’s only hope to hold a seat in the strongly blue state.

Republicans did get some traction in the state in 2010, including electing Republican Paul LePage as governor.

But in a more neutral political environment, and in a federal race, Democrats will be heavy favorites to steal this seat from Republicans — their best pickup opportunity in the country, for sure.

As Karl Rove one said, those in the middle-of-the-road.... usually get run over first.

If Snowe was fed up then it's best that she take her leave now and be free work in other ways, as she's said. I appreciated her moderation at times.