Ky.'s Bunning Says Goodbye to Senate

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning has bid farewell to Congress in a retirement speech that was by turns emotional and scolding.

The Kentucky Republican on the Senate floor Thursday labeled Democrats "stubborn" for pushing through the health care overhaul. He blamed the Federal Reserve for destroying the dollar and the economy.

Bunning said his major league pitching career toughened him for when he had to take an unpopular political stand. His voice broke, according to reports from The Courier Journal's Washington bureau and The Hill, when he thanked his family.

Bunning didn't seek re-election this year, under pressure from Republican leaders who considered him politically vulnerable. He will be replaced in January by tea party favorite Rand Paul.