Bye, Bayh

Senator Evan Bayh (D-Indiana), who was thought to be a likely 2008 presidential contender, has announced he will not run.

His decision was made public in a statement released to The Indianapolis Star.

..."It wasn't an easy decision, but it was the right one for my family, my friends and my state. I have always prided myself on putting my public responsibilities ahead of my own ambitions."

He conceded the odds were against him, describing himself as a "relatively unknown candidate."

"This path -- and these long odds -- would have required me to be essentially absent from the Senate for the next year instead of working to help the people of my state and the nation," he said in the statement.

"There may be no campaign in the near future, but there is much work to be done. When the Senate returns, I will focus on the issues that matter to the people of my state and are critical to the future of the nation, including reducing our dependence on foreign oil, creating opportunity for middle-class families, and implementing a national security strategy that is both tough and smart."

As Bil Browning, who gets the hat tip, noted, Bayh visited New Hampshire recently and had to notice his reception was decidedly different from the one given to another recent visitor, Barack Obama. Not long ago, Bil and I both attended a meet-and-greet with Bayh, and found him disappointingly unwilling to address equality and the administration's hostility toward civil rights, but incredibly knowledgable about The Issues—which isn't (unfortunately) so different from Obama. Bayh is also a good speaker, and very personable, but he's no match for Obama. They'd both have been angling for the same position in the pack, and Bayh's superior résumé wouldn't have made up for Obama's superior charisma.

Bye, Bayh. Probably a wise decision.

(Crossposted at Ezra's place.)