BE GONE WITH YOU – AT 8:11 A.M. ET:  Ultra-liberal Congressman William Delahunt of Massachusetts, a man known for his pomposity and deep passion for himself, will be departing Congress, leaving a vacancy in a Massachusetts district that went for Scott Brown in the recent senatorial election:

March 5 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. Representative William Delahunt of Massachusetts won’t seek re-election when his term is up this year, becoming the second Democrat in two days to make that decision.

Delahunt’s move was confirmed last night by his spokesman Mark Forest, who said a statement would be posted today. The Boston Globe reported that Delahunt, first elected in 1996, had decided to give up his seat for personal rather than political reasons.

Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, a fellow Democrat, issued a statement yesterday saying Delahunt’s departure from Congress would leave “a void” because the lawmaker “is an incredibly strong voice for Massachusetts in Washington.”

Kerry also said, “I hope this is not Bill Delahunt’s last chapter in public service.”

Delahunt, 68, was favored to win re-election in a district that includes Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.

And now the rest of the story:

Prior to being elected to his House seat, Delahunt was a county district attorney in Massachusetts. He faced questions recently about his tenure in that post because of the office’s handling of the 1986 shooting death of the brother of Amy Bishop, the University of Alabama college professor accused of killing three colleagues last month.

Bishop killed her brother in a shooting that was ruled accidental.

Delahunt has defended the actions his office took in that case.

The problem is, his actions were indefensible, and I suspect part of his decision was based on the likelihood that the 1986 case will be reinvestigated.  Since Bishop went on to kill again, it's difficult to see how Delahunt can defend his reckless decision not to prosecute her for the killing of her brother.  The record shows that she fired her shotgun three times within a short period, not exactly the picture of an accident.  She then went out and tried, at gunpoint, to steal a getaway car. 

Delahunt will have to defend his actions from his retirement community.

March 5,  2010