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Katie Couric's Notebook: Sen. Bayh

Nowadays in Washington, it seems that out is in.

Eleven senators say they'll call it quits at the end of this term, and more than 30 members of the House have decided not to seek re-election.

Indiana's Senator Evan Bayhisn't the first lawmaker to cross that bridge. But some say he went a step further and burned it.

He didn't give the stock retirement speechthe one about wanting to spend more time with the family. Instead, he blamed his colleagues and the whole process, saying Washington isn't working the way it should because of partisan bickering.

He's not likely to win any popularity contests in Congress - but with a Gallup approval rating of just 18 percent - Congress isn't exactly the cool kids club.

Senator Bayh has no firm plans for the future, but he says he could help create jobs, educate children or work with the underserved.

In other words, the things he should have been able to do as a U.S. Senator.

That's a page from my notebook.

I'm Katie Couric, CBS News.

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