That's a damn shame - Sen. Jim Webb announces retirement.

One of the few politicians I can stand.  For ending the war and taking better care of veterans.  Win-win.  And an Academy grad, which doesn't usually get folks a point in my favor, but...

Webb's decision to retire surprises few who know him best:

"After an awkward campaign in which he shied away from Virginia voters and their parochial issues, and after he snubbed President George W. Bush at a White House reception and accused him of taking the country into Iraq 'recklessly,' there was more than a little unease about how Jim Webb would fit into the Senate.

'He's going to be a total pain,' one Democratic aide groaned early on. And that was the sentiment in his own party..."