I didn't get a chance to comment on this last week when it first broke and there has been so much other news this week that pushed it out to today, but I simply could not allow State Senator Steve Murphy's (DFL Red Wing) retirement announcement go by without comment.

State Sen. Steve Murphy won't run for reelection this year, he announced this morning.

First elected in 1992, the Red Wing DFLer said he looked forward to spending more time with his wife, children and grandson. He is the chairman of a key transportation policy committee, and has been a vocal critic of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's transportation policies.

"I have never viewed public service as a career, but rather as an opportunity to make our community and state a better place for working families. With the help of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, we have made tremendous progress in expanding access to health care, improving the state's schools, fixing our roads and bridges, protecting the environment, and honoring our veterans," Murphy said in a statement.

Murphy was instrumental in advocating a state gas tax increase in the wake of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse, which became reality after the Minnesota House voted narrowly to override a veto by Pawlenty. It was the first and only time a Pawlenty veto has been overridden.

Senator Murphy, as chair of the Senate Transportation committee at the time, was a popular face on local and national television in the wake of the I-35W bridge collapse two years ago.  As a result, Senator Murphy made some rather outrageous statements about the cause of the collapse.

Some of the more outrageous comments drew criticism from the folks back in the district including this editorial cartoon that ran in the Red Wing Republican Eagle in January of 2008.

Needless to say, Senator Murphy did not take kindly to the depiction.

Your recent cartoon depicting me in a Nazi uniform crossed the line of basic decency. Even to a politician, this is unacceptable. As a Marine, I saw no humor in it. As the chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, I can only say you are doing your readers a terrible disservice by continuously towing the Republican line and viciously attacking anyone with a different opinion. To set the record straight, I have never explicitly or indirectly blamed the governor, Lt. Gov./Commissioner Carol Molnau or any MnDOT employee for the I-35W bridge collapse. Have I called for Molnau’s resignation? Yes, I have been for over a year. But I have done so for a host of reasons, none of which is blame for the bridge tragedy.

SCREEEEEECH!!!!! What - you have never explicitly or indirectly blamed the Lt. Governor/MNDOT Commissioner???? Perhaps you should re-read the editorial that you wrote for the Star Tribune last November....

When asked who chose not to reinforce the I-35W bridge with steel plates, Molnau said "of course I'm not the one making the decision" and said engineers and "bridge people" had worked with the firm that recommended the reinforcement. McFarlin went so far as to call out the state bridge engineer by name as the one ultimately responsible for this decision. This attempt to push accountability from the top of the agency down demonstrates the clear lack of respect these individuals have for MnDOT employees.

So by his own words, the head of MNDOT (that would be Lt. Governor Molnau for those of you from St. Paul) should be responsible for the failing of the engineers to appropriately reinforce the gusset plates on the I-35W Bridge!

As I put in that post though, in this day of YouTube and Google - it does not take long for any "schlub with a computer" to find this kind of information.  Which is probably exactly why Senator Murphy beat a hasty retirement retreat in the face of not one, not two, not three but four formidable challengers.

Red Wing salesman and cartoonist Craig Livingstone announced Wednesday that he will join a growing field of Republicans vying for Sen. Steve Murphy’s seat...

Murphy, a five-term senator from Red Wing, announced Friday that he will not seek re-election this year. Red Wing Mayor John Howe and Cannon Falls auctioneer Rod Johnson have both announced they will seek the GOP endorsement for Murphy’s District 28 seat.

It should be noted that Mr. Livingstone is the SAME Livingstone that inked the cartoon above!

Sen. Murphy knew that as long as there were candidates like Mr. Livingstone out there (as well as bloggers) that all of the embarassing comments from 2007 would be replayed in ad after ad after ad and that in a swing district (like Sen. Murphy represents) those ads would most assuredly take their toll on Murphy.

Maybe my friend Gary Gross was right - Senator Murphy was scared to run for re-election.  Then again if you said the kind of foolish things that he has said you would be too!