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The consensus on Sen. Stevens: Just go

Rocky Mountain News

Published October 30, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Sen. Ted Stevens is an institution in Washington, D.C., and Alaska, where he moved before it was a state. He is legendary for the hundreds of millions of dollars he directs to his state, which leads the nation in its per capita share of federal funds. He is a seven-term senator and the Senate's senior Republican.

And that, perhaps, is the problem. His age, 84, and seniority have apparently brought him an almost imperious sense of entitlement. How else to explain the predicament he is now in?

On Monday, a jury in the nation's capital found him guilty of seven felony counts of corruption for hiding from the public and his Senate colleagues more than $250,000 in gifts and home renovations and repairs. And some of it was really penny ante stuff for a man of his stature - a gas grill, a toolbox, a massage chair.

Rare for him, he faces a strong re-election challenge next Tuesday from Anchorage mayor Nick Begich. But what if Stevens still wins?

He is already receiving not-so-subtle advice about what to do next.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said he must "be held accountable." Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she's confident he'll "do what's right for the people of Alaska." In other words, just go. It is a remarkable fall for a remarkable lawmaker.

Comments

  • October 30, 2008

    6:35 a.m.

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    Ike writes:

    Like all criminals he was only caught and convicted for a small portion of his crimes. This 250,000 was probably the most blatant of his excess and couldn't be swept under the bearskin rug courtesy of VECO. It has gone this far why not ratchet it up the rest of the way and have a forensic accountant in to examine Senator Stevens' accounts for his seven terms? With due respect it was only his own arrogance that brought him down.

    Take it a step further and let accountants examine all Members of both Houses and let the sunshine in. The appropriate metaphor is "Like cockroaches scurrying when the lights go on." We would find that Senator Stevens was only among the most careless but he is without doubt not the only one.

  • October 30, 2008

    9:57 a.m.

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    valwayne writes:

    Senator Stevens & the Bridge to Nowhere are the poster children for what has happened to the Republican party, and why it is facing massive political defeat at the hands of democrats who have no new ideas and no answers, only a mantra of change change change. How does a Senator and party that stands for limited government and low taxes justified the Bridge to NoWhere and the billions and billions in earmarks? Does the party not understand that today it looks worse than the democrats under Tip O'neil, and Tip Oneil never showed the kind of arrogance that you see from Senator Stevens. Let's pray that the country and its friends, like Israel, can survive the Obama, Pelosi, Reid triumvirate, and find another Reagan out their somewhere with the humility and principals to revive and energize the party. We're going to need it!

  • October 30, 2008

    10:08 a.m.

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    mikeyg writes:

    Stevens is a high profile example of what went wrong with the Republican party running Congress, much as the Democratic party they replaced in the 1990's had. He abused his public office for private financial gain. Sarah Palin saw the abuses going on in Alaska, got angry about it, spoke out about it, and when that didn't work she did something about it. Despite the radical leftists hurling insults at her and attacking her character since she was nominated she has a bright future in the Republican party, and she'll be a part getting the GOP back on track.

    If Obama pulls off the greatest mass deception ever and wins office, Republicans need not fret. He will do for the conservative movement what Jimmy Carter did in the 1970's: produce a entire generation of conservatives who will learn exactly what unbridled liberalism is all about and ultimately reject it for the rest of their lives. As the facade of "post-partisan" politics crumbles into dust when his ultra-partisan governance of this nation becomes the reality even an adoring NBC, CBS, NYT, etc. won't be able to spin it hard enough to save liberalism. Historians will surely call 2009-2013 the era of liberalism's "dead cat bounce" in America.

    Liberals: just because your cat's bouncing off the pavement doesn't mean it's alive. If Obama wins with Pelosi and Reid running congress you may think you have a live cat, but after four years of your rule liberalism will be dead, dead, dead.

  • October 30, 2008

    12:52 p.m.

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    sadhana444 writes:

    McCain has asked for Stevens to step down. Palin has now suggested a "special election," which seems to imply that she wants more time for another Republican candidate to challenge Begich. Begich was up by 1 point before the conviction and now appears likely to win. (Btw, "Mark" rather than "Nick" Begich.)

  • October 30, 2008

    5:43 p.m.

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    Spencer writes:

    I'm not sure why you consider him a "remarkable" lawmaker. Just saying so doesn't make it so.