Levin Leaving

Michigan -- and the Senate Armed Services Committee -- is going to need a new senator in 2014.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), chairman of the committee, announced this afternoon that he would not run for re-election in 2014.

In a statement, Levin said as he and his wife "struggled with the question of whether I should run again, we focused on our belief that our country is at a crossroads that will determine our economic health and security for decades to come. We decided that I can best serve my state and nation by concentrating in the next two years on the challenging issues before us that I am in a position to help address; in other words, by doing my job without the distraction of campaigning for re-election."

One of those issues is defense-related:

Finally, the next two years will also be important in dealing with fiscal pressures on our military readiness. As Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, 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.