AND A MAJOR SENATE LOSS – AT 8:58 A.M. ET:  Members of the Senate and House come and go, and most of them are not particularly missed when they leave.  But the Senate is about to lose one of its finest members.    From Fox: 

Sen. Tom Coburn, one of Washington’s leading and most fiscally conservative lawmakers, announced Thursday he would be stepping down at the end of the year.

The Republican from Oklahoma had previously announced he would not seek reelection but his latest comments have him leaving Congress two years sooner than he previously planned.

Coburn has been suffering from a recurrence of prostate cancer and hinted about his departure during an interview with reporters last week.

“Serving as Oklahoma’s senator has been, and continues to be, one of the great privileges and blessings of my life," said Coburn, 65. "But after much prayer and consideration, I have decided that I will leave my Senate seat at the end of this Congress."

Known as a conservative maverick during his three terms in the U.S. House in the 1990s, Coburn continued that role after being elected to the Senate in 2004. He is a fierce critic of what he described as excessive government spending, and has vocal about opposing the earmarking of special projects, which was highlighted in his annual “Wastebook” report.

And...

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell reacted to the news by describing Coburn as "one of the most intelligent, principled, and decent men in modern Senate history" in a statement.

"Tom is a legend in his own time, an extraordinary man and a deeply serious lawmaker who has made an immense difference to his country and to this body. We will miss him terribly when he leaves the Senate, and we will stand with him every step of the way as he wages this latest of many tough battles that he has fought, and won," the statement read.

COMMENT:  I applaud McConnell's statement.  Tom Coburn, a physician by training, is a principled, thoughtful conservative who brings intelligence, research and a keen mind to every issue he confronts.  I heard him speak about a year ago in New York, where we don't get too many speeches from Oklahoma senators.  He was superb.  I particularly was taken by the incisiveness of his comments about abortion.  Although he is pro-life, he argued that this was an issue that will be decided, not by court decisions or laws, but in the human heart.  He was right.  I wish we had more public servants on both sides of the aisle who understood, as Tom Coburn does, the limits of government.

January 17, 2014