Missouri has lost a bit of its power in Washington.

Southwest Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt has decided to step down from his leadership position within the United States House. Blunt came ever so close to becoming Speaker of the US House. Instead, Republicans lost their majority, Blunt lost his bid to become the Minority Leader and settled in as Minority Whip, the number two Republican in the House.

Blunt says he’s leaving that post voluntarily, denying that his high-profile work on the $700 billion financial rescue package, opposed by many Congressional Republicans, undermined his popularity in the caucus.

A Republican leadership post has also been devalued with election of a Democrat as president.

Blunt’s view is that if he had wanted to, he could have remained the Republican Whip, but says after ten years it is time to move on. Blunt now will leave leadership and concentrate on issues dear to him:  energy, health care and telecommunications.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (:60 MP3)