The Pain of Watching Feinstein’s Career Overshadowed by Her Decline

For those of us who admire Dianne Feinstein, it’s been painful to watch her being sidelined as her staff tries to protect her from the whispers of her colleagues and the indignities of her not knowing when it’s time to retire. Running for a six-year term at age 85 was pushing it, but after three decades as a U.S. senator representing California, giving up her senate seat was out of the question. It was her life. It was in her DNA.

Then last year, her husband, Richard Blum, died after a long battle with cancer. He was thought to be the only one who could convince his wife there was more to life than flying cross-country to serve in Washington. With his death, the questions only increased about when she would retire. She turned 89 last June, and her response to those questions was to say she was getting over the loss of her husband. She needed time.

Now, with at least three announced candidates for her seat, she made it official. Or at least her staff made it official, and she can run out the clock for the next two years to fulfill her fifth six-year term in the Senate, which doesn’t end until January 2025. She is still pushing it considering the demands of the office, her faltering memory, and the travel involved.

Read more at The Daily Beast.