By Adam Bitely –
House Appropriations Chairman and Pelosi ally David Obey (D-WI) will be retiring at the end of his term in 2010. Obey’s announcement is the largest from a House Democrat this cycle.
According to Politico:
Elected in 1969, the liberal is a major institutional figure who played a leading role in the anti-war and reform movement of the House in the 1970’s. As the Appropriations chairman, he has been a close ally to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D—Cal.) who came up through the same panel before moving into the leadership. And his departure follows on the death of Rep. John Murtha (D—Pa.) this winter, a second Pelosi ally veteran of the powerful committee.
Indeed, the death of Murtha—and a second Obey associate—former Rep. Charles Wilson of Texas— may have influenced the chairman’s decision. At 71, he is only about five years younger than his late friends and given the hard road ahead this election year, “he’s bone tired and reached a point in his life where he has to think about how much time he has left.”
Obey also faced a difficult re-election effort this fall.
