He's so indicted! He just can't hide it!

We know, we know, we know and he just can't hide it!

Senator Ted Stevens has been indicted for corruption. Here's the indictment (PDF).

It's international news.

This is mixed news for Alaska. On the one hand, it is very good to get this into the courts and dealt with: either he's innocent or he's guilty. One hopes that if they had enough that a grand jury indicted him, that the prosecutors have enough evidence to convict him, especially someone in such a public position and with such financial and political resources. You just DON'T do this without that backup. (Should always have this in any case, but when the indictee is such a powerful figure, your career is toast if you don't have your ducks lined up properly.)

So, assuming that the senator's ass is grass, Alaska has just lost the seniority, skill, and knowledge he possessed. We've lost a good chunk of that even without a conviction: his influence is now near-moot. Stevens has supported many good things for Alaska: science research, basic infrastructure funding, et cetera. He's also, to my mind, supported some horrific legislation and unconstitutional and immoral practices. So I am very glad, in this respect, for his downfall. He would have retired in one way or another anyway, and we would have lost his influence then.

It's Ray Metcalfe who kept at it and kept at it and finally exposed the maggots under the seats in our legislature and in our Congressional delegation. Vindication must be bittersweet.