Ted Steven's conviction--it's the top meme today. Here's the report from Erika Bolstad and Richard Mauer at McClatchy's Washington Bureau. The Anchorage Daily News, saying that Stevens lost his moral compass, opines:
Michael Stern, who most recently served as Special Counsel for the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence writes in his blog Point of Order: A Discussion of Congressional Legal Issues,Ted Stevens may be Alaskan of the Century but he is not our king. His lifetime of good works for Alaska does not entitle him to ignore the law. If Alaskans have any pride, any integrity, any standards of conduct for their public servants, voters will not reward his arrogance on Election Day.
BOTTOM LINE: The man who has done so much good for Alaska did himself in with his bad judgment.
The most difficult issue is what happens if Stevens is convicted and re-elected. While the principle of respecting the decision of the voters would weigh heavily against expulsion, there would also be a countervailing tradition that Members of Congress, when convicted, normally resign their offices. If Stevens were not to follow that tradition, the Committee would have to face a serious question of whether to expel him.
