McGOVERN, MAGNUSSON, BAYH AND CHURCH NEVER SAW IT COMING:

Dems Getting Antsy With Retirements (Reid Wilson, 12/10/09, Hotline)

With 3 Dems announcing their retirements in the first weeks of Dec., some party strategists are starting to worry that a wave of retirements could threaten their hold on the House.

"It's time for Democrats to be concerned," said ex-Rep. Martin Frost (D-TX), a former DCCC chair. "You've only had 3 of these retirements now, but this tends to be like the flu, it tends to be contagious. Once your contemporaries start announcing their retirements, you start rethinking your decision."