Joe Says See Ya

From the Hartford Courant:

STAMFORD — U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, quoting the Bible and referencing “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” explained today that he would step down after four terms not because he faced a tough campaign for a fifth, but simply because the time had come for him to change direction, according to his prepared remarks.

“I have decided it is time to turn the page to a new chapter, and so I will not be a candidate for re-election to a fifth term in the U.S. Senate in 2012,” Lieberman said in his prepared remarks. “This was not an easy decision for me to make because I have loved serving in the Senate and I feel good about what I have accomplished. But I know it is the right decision and, I must say, I am excited about beginning a new chapter of life with new opportunities.

A copy of his remarks were distributed early, embargoed until Lieberman began his speech. He took the podium at the Stamford Marriott at 12:44 p.m.

“The reason I have decided not to run for re-election in 2012 is best expressed in the wise words from Ecclesiastes: ‘To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven.’ At the end of this term, I will have served 24 years in the U.S. Senate and 40 years in elective office. By my count, I have run at least 15 full-fledged political campaigns in Connecticut. For me, it is time for another season and another purpose under Heaven,” he said.