The news that Representative Bill Paxon (R-N.Y.) is resigning is disappointing. The Republican Party is losing a rising star to the abyss of private life, and Americans are losing a good chance to knock off Dick Armey (R-Tex.), Newt's sidekick, as majority leader.

As Gingrich's popularity has disappeared beneath his yo-yoing waistline and party squabbles, the Republicans are in need of solid leadership. Paxon has been a necessary counterpoint to Gingrich and company, and as a New Yorker, he is more in line with our view of things.

Paxon is leaving politics to be with his wife, Susan Molinari, and their young daughter. Molinari left Congress last spring for CBS-TV. As a result, America is left with one fewer House power struggle to watch. And while the parents' desire to be with their child is noble, New York voters are left with a sense of abandonment that no parent would want their child to feel.

Like other members of Congress, Paxon could serve both his nation and his family simultaneously. But what do we know? Two-year-old Susan Ruby Paxon must feel really special.