The New York Times reports that Christopher Dodd, senior U.S. Senator from Connecticut will likely not seek re-election and will retire after serving five terms.

As a new resident of Connecticut, I find this very good news. Dodd who allegedly got a sweetheart mortgage deal from the subprime lender Countrywide Financial, was on the outs with locals and was a long shot to be re-elected.

He likely would have faced Linda McMahon, of the World Wrestling Federation McMahons in the general election. She is a political novice, but has name recognition through her family connections.

Dodd's decision not to run opens the door for Richard Blumenthal, the highly regarded state attorney general. Dodd's move, may ultimately keep the seat in Democratic hands. Dodd was the son of Thomas Dodd, former Connecticut senator who was censured by the U.S. Senate on ethics and corruption charges.

Dodd is one of those late 20th century politicians who rode to office on the name recognition of his relatives, like Olympia Snowe, Andrew Cuomo, Jesse Jackson, Jr., George H.W. Bush,  George W. Bush, Ted and Robert Kennedy, Lincoln Chaffee, and scores of others. When former Senator Jonn Tower was nominated to be George H.W. Bush's Secretary of Defense, Dodd voted to confirm Tower and was the only democrat to do so, probably because Tower has not voted for Senator Thomas Dodd's (Chris Dodd's father) censure in 1968.

North Dakota's Byron Dorgan has also announced he won't seek re-election in North Dakota. That seat will likely switch out of Democrats hands to Republicans.

With the two incumbents retiring, two questions remain:

Will they shed the shackles of the special interests in their remaining months in office?

Or will they spend their remaining time looking for lucrative opportunities to enrich themselves after they leave office?

What do you think?