Quite a few, indeed more than 30, members of the House have indicated lately that they will not be seeking new terms this November. The political papers and websites pay most of the attention to these departures and most often in the context of what knock-on effect there might be in the total number of seats each party can expect after the mid-term vote.
Patrick Kennedy, though not in and of himself an especially high profile representative, is different. When he leaves office he will be taking more with him than the family photos. He will be closing the door on his family story, the opening political chapter of it.
Of course, at some point in the future there might be another Kennedy, perhaps more than one, walking the halls of Capitol Hill, even the White House.
But Patrick's exit brings down a curtain on more than six decades of Kennedy participation in the political life of our nation. Some will find this sad, some will celebrate, some will shrug. But there's no escaping the sense that a singular political phenomenon in the history of out nation is finally coming to an end.
Kennedy has served the people of Rhode Island's First Congressional District for sixteen years and will continue to serve until next January. Whatever he plans to do next, we wish him well.
