Presidential hug for controversial senator

Republican Ted Stevens is the king of pork-barrel earmark spending. The senior senator from Alaska is also the architect of the infamous Bridge to Nowhere, a project to connect the town of Ketchikan (population 8,900) with its airport on the Island of Gravina (population 50) at a cost to federal taxpayers of $320 million.

Last month he was indicted on seven counts of falsifying his Senate disclosure forms. The federal charges allege that he hid $250,000 in gifts from an oil producing company to renovate his Anchorage area home. The inference is that the company got many favors in return from the senator's legislative juice as chairman or ranking Republican on the Appropriations Committee.

But none of that stopped President Bush from embracing Stevens, at least verbally, when he stopped at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska last night to refuel on his trip to Asia. Stevens is popular in Alaska, known as "Uncle Ted" for his faithful record of steering federal funds to the 49th state over the years. When Bush acknowledged him, the audience applauded. Talking to airmen and their families, Bush said:

The United States military has had no better support and stronger friend than Sen. Ted Stevens. Thank you for coming, Senator.

As the Swamp reported, White House press secretary Dana Perino called Bush's remarks "absolutely appropriate."

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Gerald Herbert / Associated Press

Comments

[Phil Werntz]

Does this surprise anyone? Doesn't Bush reward incompetence by promotions? Remember the thugs who helped give us Iraq? Stand by for a Medal of Freedom announcement !

[jash]

Oh go ahead...just pardon the guy already!

[Pope Ratzo]

George Bush is giving this nation and our rule of law the finger. He's telling us, by "embracing" Ted Stevens, that his friends can break the law and nothing's going to happen. If he wants to ignore the law, who's going to stop him? Congress? Don't be silly, they don't have the will to stand up to Bush.

George Bush seems to be saying that he's going to do exactly as he pleases these next five months, no matter the law, and he knows that nobody's going to give him a time out.

The Democratic leadership in Congress should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for not even having the will to make a peep about the crimes of George Bush.

[Scott Thill]

Cmon Neuman. Name the "oil producing company." It was called Veco, and is now known as CH2M HILL. See, no one died. Do your job. It is, I imagine, what you get paid for.

[Wendell Murray]

Waning days of the decline of the Bush Administration disaster. What further, last minute idiocy will we have before the Administration is out of office: blanket Presidential pardons for the universe of malfeasers such as the Karl Rove (why is he not in prison for contempt of Congress by the way?), bombing of iran, China and Russia? I guess one has to be in the White House daily to see the reality of the fantasy that the White House is separate from any reality that everyone else in the world knows. I still think impeachment of President Bush and Vice-President Cheney is worth the effort. That might occupy them sufficiently to not attempt to destroy the world before they leave office. I am not kidding.

[william pappas]

Bush shows he is an idiot from day one and he is not going to change now--and really,who cares what he,his henchmen,his family and friends do--he's old news and should just fade away

They both belong to Larry Craigs 'Stall Club'.

[Jack Walcott]

I'd dispute that headline a little bit: Stevens is not "controversial," he's "indicted." A headline reading "Presidential hug for indicted senator" would be shorter, clearer, more factual, less weaselly, everything they teach you about good headline writing in 8th grade journalism class.

[JD]

One criminal praising another. Nothing controversial about it.

[Bill Davis]

The Bush Administration has lied itself into a corner and now cannot admit the truth about any of its nefarious activities.

[BobN]

Back in the old days, before the "Republican Revolution", a politician in Stevens' position would cite "scheduling conflicts" to avoid embarrassing his President. Of course, before the "Republican Revolution", we had presidents who would rather not associate with probable felons...

[Rich Monk]

From the mouth of one crook to another right?
The Repubican contamination of greed, intolerance, and bigotry defines the right wing Christian family values of modern times.
Criminal trials for Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfield, Rove and you might as well throw in O'Reilly and Hannity so as to clean up any mess they have left for the Planet.

[m.sundland]

As a Canadian with numerous American relatives and , as a 60-year old former resident of California,I find it hard to fathom how one would spend so much time and trouble defending a regime which has done so much to deceive it,s own citizens yet has fooled so few people outside it,s own borders.It reminds me of the time when my Canadian father and and his American cousin were arguing vehemently about Richard Nixon and whether he should be impeached,My second cousin was convinced that a sitting president was somehow immune from criticism by the unwashed masses.When the inevitable happened, our U.S. relative recanted.Why, I wonder, does the same thing have to occur with such a lack of self-introspection?I guess maybe you can, indeed fool most of the people most of the time.

[skyreader7]

Business as usual.

[What the Holy Heck]

You're doing a heckuva job, Teddy.