Levin’s Last Term

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, announced last week he will not seek re-election in 2014. He’s been a member of the Senate since 1979. In a March 7 statement, Levin said the decision was “extremely difficult,” but he felt he could “best serve my state and nation” by focusing on “the challenging issues before us,” including “fiscal pressures on our military readiness,” rather than a re-election campaign. “I am determined to do all I can to address that issue. I also believe we need to pursue the rapid transfer of responsibility for Afghan security to the Afghans. And, as our troops come home, we must do a better job of caring for those who bear both the visible and invisible wounds of war,” said Levin. President Obama, in a statement, called Levin a “true champion for all those who serve” and said “his tireless work will be missed not just in his home state of Michigan, but by military families” across the country.