Alaska's Ted Stevens Indicted

[rugcat]

It's about time. I'm thinking Blacbird will be delighted.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25916299/

[robeiae]

I agree on both counts (it's about time and blacbird will be thrilled).

ETA: And is this Bush's JD that indicted Stevens?!?! I thought that never happened...

[rugcat]

And is this Bush's JD that indicted Stevens?!?! I thought that never happened...Hey, screwups happen. Just another example of Bush admin incompetence.

[Danger Jane]

Anyone remember this? (http://tubesdance.ytmnd.com/)

[blacbird]

I agree on both counts (it's about time and blacbird will be thrilled).

ETA: And is this Bush's JD that indicted Stevens?!?! I thought that never happened...

It wouldn't have happened under Alberto Gonzales (two of whose top aides have now also been accused of violating federal law in JD hiring practices).

But, back to Stevens. He's now complete burnt toast. He was already trailing in most polls in his re-election bid, to a Democrat in this deeply Republican state. When he announced he would seek another term, many Republicans I know cringed, and a lot of them are going to vote for a Democrat for the first time in their lives. The only question now is, Does Stevens resign, and permit some scramble by the state's Republican Party to replace him on the ballot? My guess is, knowing him, he digs in his heels, and screws over his own party. At some point in the not-too-distant future, it will be too late to get a replacement on the ballot.

Meantime, don't turn that dial. Stevens' long-time geriatric comrade Congressman Don Young, is also in legal hot water, and it's not known exactly why. What is known is that he's spent over a million dollars on unspecified legal fees in the last year or so, out of his campaign contribution funds; it's legal to do that, but it has to be disclosed, which is the only reason we know about it. Wouldn't shock me to hear about him being indicted for something before too long.

Stevens' son, Ben, a former president of the state senate, is also known to be under investigation, with some unspecified ties to the ongoing corruption scandal that's already sent a half-dozen former Republican officials to prison, with more in the pipeline.

Plus, the new governor, Sarah Palin, who got there by being a maverick within her own party, is now in hot water over the firing of the state's Commissioner of Public Safety, because he refused to fire a state trooper who happened to be Palin's ex-brother-in-law and was involved in a rancorous divorce dispute with Palin's sister. After which, Palin hired a new Public Safety Commissioner (named, I swear to God, Kopp), only to have him forced to resign a few days later when a complaint alleging spousal abuse or something similar came to light.

One wonders if the Alaska Republican Party isn't ripe for a federal RICOH investigation.

caw

[InfinityGoddess]

Anyone remember this? (http://tubesdance.ytmnd.com/)

:ROFL:Quite well. What a maroon.

[Danger Jane]

:ROFL:Quite well. What a maroon.

Hang on, I'll reply better in a second, I'm just uploading some pics to the 'tubes.





:D

[blacbird]

An addendum: If Stevens does resign, Palin gets to appoint a successor to finish out his term, and by current state law, it has to be someone from the same Party. Palin's Lt. Governor, a guy named Sean Parnell, would seem to be the logical candidate, but he's already running against Young for the Congressional seat in the Republican Primary. There are no other obvious candidates. Palin's current appointment record doesn't seem very promising.

And, as recently as a year ago, the Alaska Senate seat was one national Republicans didn't have a moment's worry about holding in the 2008 election.

caw