Considering the year Sen. Chris Dodd had in 2009, it’s perhaps not all that surprising he’s stepping down from the Senate. Some headlines–most from Connecticut news organizations–quickly culled from Lexis-Nexis, remind one of the importance of the press in covering Congress, and that informed voters are really the only ethics committee that Congress needs:

Dodd refinancing 2 personal Countrywide loans (Associated Press) Feb. 2

Dodd to Offer Stimulus Amendment on Executive Compensation (CongressWatch) Feb. 5

DODD TO RETURN CONTRIBUTIONS; MONEY FROM DISGRACED FINANCIER STANFORD TO BE DONATED TO CHARITY; FRAUD CASE FALLOUT (Hartford Courant) Feb. 20

REAL ESTATE DEAL CRITICIZED; SENATOR HELPED WALL STREET EXECUTIVE GET A  PARDON IN 2001; GOP ASSAILS DODD (Hartford Courant) March 10

Dodd joins furor over AIG bonuses (Connecticut Post Online) March 17

Dodd admits role in AIG bonuses (Connecticut Post Online) March 18

Dodd: Administration sought bonus limit revision (Associated Press) March 19

DODD’S FLIP-FLOP; ADMITS ROLE IN STIMULUS BILL CHANGES THAT LED TO AIG BONUSES (Hartford Courant) March 19

CLEARING THE AIR?; DODD TRIES TO CLARIFY HIS ROLE IN BILL ALLOWING AIG BONUSES (Hartford Courant) March 20

Dodd defends himself amid criticism of AIG stance (Associated Press) March 20

REPORT SAYS COUNTRYWIDE BENT LOAN RULES FOR DODD (Hartford Courant) March 20

DODD: PROTECTING AIG BONUSES WAS NEVER MY INTENT; UPROAR OBSCURES FIGHT AGAINST EXCESSIVE PAY (Hartford Courant) March 21, 2009

DODD’S WIFE, TOO, HAD MONEY LINK TO AIG (New York Post) March 25

AIG chiefs pressed to donate to Dodd; $160,000 streamed in as senator gained power on banking committee (Washington Times) March 30

TRYING TO CUT TIES; SEN. DODD PLAYS DOWN REPORTS ABOUT DONATIONS FROM AIG EMPLOYEES; BAILOUT FALLOUT (Hartford Courant) March 31

Dodd: Didn’t know about AIG fundraising (UPI) March 31

Dodd raises $1 million for re-election bid (Associated Press) April 15

Bankers still underwrite Sen. Dodd (UPI) April 17

Dodd taps Wall Street money for re-election (Associated Press) April 20

Payday lenders donate to Dodd; The senator has raised more than $44,000 from firms that make high-interest loan (Los Angeles Times) April 21

BOARD OF COMPENSATION; CLEGG DODD MAKING BIG MONEY AS CORPORATE DIRECTOR; SENATOR’S WIFE (Hartford Courant) May 13

Desperate Dodd Holds Secret Fundraiser With Payday Lenders (Business Insider) May 20

Dodd’s wife serves on health care company boards (Associated Press) June 12

DODD’S MAJOR ADJUSTMENT; APPRAISED VALUE OF SENATOR’S COTTAGE IN IRELAND MORE THAN TRIPLES; FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES (Hartford Courant) June 13

Dodd Looks to Distance Himself From Financial Firms (Washington Post) July 21

Dodd may snub lobbyists, but not their cash (Associated Press) July 25

LOAN OFFICER: DODD KNEW HE GOT VIP DEAL (New York Post) July 28

As Special Interests Aid Dodd, He Distances Himself From Them (New York Times) July 28

The Helping Hand Of Senator Dodd Aided A Troubled Mortgage Servicer (Business Insider) Aug 31

Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd, a Favorite of Wall Street, Leads Regulatory Reform Fight (OpenSecrets.org) Nov. 23

Dodd stakes candidacy to reform (Fairfield County Business Journal) Nov. 23

That last headline is priceless — staking his candidacy on reform. Too little, too late?