Earlier this afternoon, Evan Bayh stepped up to a podium in Indianapolis to announce that he will not seek re-election this year. I’ve monitored it for all the inherent wankery. . . .

His family is behind him, his staff is in the room.

“I was raised in a family that believed public service is the highest calling…” He’s now going through his record as a Secretary of State, Governor and Senator.

Incidentally, this list of accomplishments is fairly thin. “I’ve been civil!”

“My passion for service to our fellow citizens is undiminished, but my passion for serving in Congress has waned… I’ve had a growing conviction that Congress is not operating as it should… the people’s business is not getting done.”

His two big examples for that is that not enough people would sign on to the cat food commission to cut Medicare and Social Security, and that Harry Reid didn’t keep the crappy pork unrelated to job creation in the jobs bill.

“I do not love Congress.” Who says that?

I like how he said that Congress is broken, but everyone in Congress is a saint.

“I simply believe that I can best contribute to society in another way…” and then he doesn’t really come up with how to do that. A business, a philanthropic society, a university?

“If Washington DC could be more like Indiana, then Washington would be a better place.”

Yadda yadda and yadda.