Dianne Feinstein must offer one more act of service for her country: Retire

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California senator Dianne Feinstein needs to step down. Everyone knows this, but in case you missed it, Annie Karni and Carl Hulse can catch you up in the New York Times with the latest medical reasons.

Characterized by swelling of the brain, post-shingles encephalitis can leave patients with lasting memory or language problems, sleep disorders, bouts of confusion, mood disorders, headaches and difficulties walking. Older patients tend to have the most trouble recovering. And even before this latest illness, Ms. Feinstein had already suffered substantial memory issues that had raised questions about her mental capacity.

Look, nobody is happy about this, but this situation is beyond repair.

The main argument I have seen defending Feinstein — who turns 90 next month — is gender bias. If she were a man, so it goes, no one would be pushing her to depart. I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that men and women are treated equally in Congress, but that argument only travels so far. Male malignancy Strom Thurmond set the standard for overstaying his welcome, serving in the Senate until he was 100, and what sane human being didn’t believe he should hit the road long before the century mark? Put another way, Strom Thurmond was no Norman Lear.

Then, of course, you have 80-year-old Joe Biden, a decade younger than Feinstein and clearly in better health, yet facing questions about his age every day. The questions are fair, and although I believe he is good to go today, even Democrats will be watching him over the next one-to-five years.

Feinstein’s life of service extends back more than 50 years, and perhaps that has earned her the right to choose her own destiny. Even so, there’s no mistaking the choice she should make, and that’s one more moment of service, of accepting that someone at long last can do more good for the country in her position than she can.