Originally published Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Sen. Stevens, R-VECO
THE indictment of Alaskan Sen. Ted Stevens on seven counts of making false statements on financial-disclosure forms stirs a curious ambivalence...
The indictment of Alaskan Sen. Ted Stevens on seven counts of making false statements on financial-disclosure forms stirs a curious ambivalence. The long-serving Republican is the meanest, nastiest friend Puget Sound and Washington ever had.
Unless, of course, he was off on some ballistic tangent or feuding with a local lawmaker. Otherwise, the confluence of Alaskan and Northwest interests made him a political figure to be courted, humored and indulged.
That is certainly an element of the indictment that connects him to more than $250,000 in goods and favors from VECO Corporation, an oil field services company and influential employer in Alaska.
This is all about not reporting gifts over a span of eight years, but the Department of Justice also says he simultaneously received solicitations for official actions and he "used his position and office on behalf of VECO during that same time period."
Stevens is the biggest fish snared so far in a four-year-old Alaska political corruption investigation. The list of political figures and business executives convicted or who have pleaded guilty is staggering. Others remain under investigation, including Alaska's only House member, Republican Rep. Don Young.
Curious how the pattern repeats itself. The powerful end up in trouble when they begin to believe the rules no longer apply to them.
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
UPDATE - 02:37 PM
Charles Krauthammer / Syndicated columnist: Iran's leaderless revolution: searching for a Yeltsin
NEW - 02:26 PM
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist: The triumph and tragedy of Michael Jackson
NEW - 02:48 PM
Leonard Pitts Jr. / Syndicated columnist: What does a homosexual demon look like?

2009 fireworks time lapse
With strict parking rules enforced at this year's July 4th celebration on Wallingford Ave North, less cars and more spectators filled the streets.
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Tax tips for new independent professionals
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new SUV? Weigh the impact your choice will have on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
nwhomes

Find a new home or condo that fits your lifestyle.
Search New Developments
Builder Directory
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Former NFL MVP McNair killed
- Russell Branyan, Mariners fight off the Red Sox
- Palin takes to Web for hints of political future
- Landmark Smith Tower mostly vacant
- Fourth of July festivals and fireworks in Seattle, the suburbs and beyond
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- The Blotter | Man pistol-whipped after argument at nightclub
- Desert-lobster dispute turns pair into sagebrush heroes
- Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
- Palin resigning as Alaska governor
772 - Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox: 07/05 game thread
246 - Palin links resignation to 'higher calling' and blasts media in Facebook posting
114 - Former NFL MVP McNair killed
105 - Hatred for the NBA runs deep, but don't take it out on the players
95 - Tukwila residents rally against light-rail noise
86 - Property taxes: Appeals shoot up is King, Snohomish Counties
79 - Tent City on campus: UW stalls decision
60 - Anti-tax rally in Olympia attracts about 1,500
48 - Seeking your questions
39
- Plasma and LCD beware; OLED screens ready to go mainstream
- Merchant Marine veterans fight for recognition
- Property taxes: Appeals shoot up in King, Snohomish Counties
- Hard times for tourist towns means good deals for travelers
- Close-up | Prison guards intercept carrier pigeon with a cellphone
- Pre-grill drill: marinate steaks
- Concert Review | Green Day blasts off 4th weekend with KeyArena show
- Amtrak cleared for 2nd daily train to Vancouver, B.C.
- Lake Washington's sockeye run may hit a record low
- The People's Pharmacy | Estrogen mimicker found in sunscreen








