Convicted, defeated, Alaska's Sen. Ted Stevens yields the floor after 40 years
Alaska's long-serving raker-in of federal money narrowly lost his bid for a seventh term in the U.S. Senate this week, after losing his bid to defend himself against seven federal felony corruption counts in a trial this fall.
So today the 85-year-old Ted Stevens made his farewell speech to the exclusive club of 100 where he has served since 1968. (Watch video below.) He sounded mildly defiant, saying he was sure his name would be eventually cleared and that God would give him a new way to serve.
He said his motto had always been: "To hell with politics. Just do what's right for Alaska." He said he would pray for the success of his successor, Democratic Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.
And Stevens asked God to bless Gov. Sarah Palin, President George W. Bush and every member of the Senate. (No mention of the House.)
He got a standing ovation. See news video below.
-- Andrew Malcolm
But you don't have to be 85 to register here for cellphone alerts on each new Ticket item.
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
Subscribe to this Blog
Stevens was only tried for those offenses that could be adjudicated in Washington, D.C. He retained enough support, particularly with religious conservatives, that a conviction would have been unlikely in Alaska. However he and his son were engaged in far more criminality than has been prosecuted. His son should be indicted in the near future.
Stevens was a Harvard Law graduate. He ran in a state where Republicans outnumber Democrat registrants five to three. He was beaten by the very competent mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, a high school graduate without a college degree.
Posted by: Frank Smith | November 20, 2008 at 09:59 PM
Well, I no longer care what happens to him on the criminal case. I was only concerned that if the Senate expelled him that that whack job Palin might run for and win his Senate seat.
Since Begich won, that made my concerns vanish.
If Stevens wins a new trial: I don't care.
If Stevens' conviction stands and he gets probation ONLY: I don't care.
If Stevens simply fades away: I don't care.
Is Stevens get away with other crimes? I don't care.
Posted by: Michael Mortimer | November 23, 2008 at 06:48 PM