Is Obama Telling Rangel to Retire? Sounds Like It

President Obama has offered an opinion on the fate of Representative Charlie Rangel of New York. Recently, the House Ethics Committee charged Rangel with 13 violations.

During an interview with CBS News, President Obama seems to argue that Rangel should hang up his hat:

I think Charlie Rangel served a very long time and served -- his constituents very well. But these -- allegations are very troubling. . . .

And he'll -- he's somebody who's at the end of his career. Eighty years old. I'm sure that -- what he wants is to be able to -- end his career with dignity. And my hope is that -- it happens.

Obama's comments come as some media reports speculate that Rangel will survive the storm. While other commentators have argued that an ethics trial could harm Democrats, it is unclear whether Rangel's situation would actually have national implications. Obama's comments, ironically, will probably bring more attention to the situation and make it an issue that more likely implicates the reputation of the Democratic Party.

Will Rangel heed Obama's "advice"? According to Ben Smith of Politico, Rangel is unfazed by Obama's statement. Quoting an anonymous source, Smith reports that Rangel "doesn’t give a damn about what the president thinks about this."