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Sad news for fans of politicos who spend their time lavishing pork on their districts, gambling on horses, and getting caught up in federal investigations. Joe Bruno, the State Senate majority leader and New York's top Republican, will retire after his current term is up this fall. Best known in recent years as one of Eliot Spitzer's chief adversaries and the man who inspired Troopergate, Bruno spent a total of 32 years in the Senate. Now 79, the former boxing champ's decision to step down was attributed to the pressure to keep the Republican majority in Albany this November, the death of his wife earlier this year, and the strain of an ongoing investigation into alleged conflicts of interest.

After 32 years in office, I have decided that it is time to move on with my life and to give my constituents an opportunity for new representation and my colleagues in the Senate who have supported me, an opportunity for new leadership... Politics is a tough ball game. Tougher now than it has ever been. But after 32 years of many successes and a few failures, there have been few more rewarding experiences in my life. But timing in life is everything. While there may never be a good time to make these kinds of life decisions, I have decided that it is time for me to move on with my life."

The award for the most emotional reaction, though, has to go to socialite Marylou Whitney:

Marylou Whitney, the philanthropist and grande dame of Saratoga horse racing, called him "better for this state and for Saratoga than anyone," before breaking down during a telephone interview on an Albany television station.

Stand strong, Marylou. Do it for the horses.