Let Us Not Forget One Point About Ted Stevens

The dismissal of his conviction was not based on whether or not Stevens was corrupt. The dismissal was a sanction against the government for blatant prosecutorial misconduct.

Ted Stevens took favors from government contractors and did not pay for them. His conduct may not have been as egregious as Duke Cunningham's, but it was still both ethically wrong and a crime. That is the note on which his career ended and it is likely to be what he will be remebered for: An effective but corrupt politician.

There was a time when what Stevens did would have been accepted or even chuckled at for not being grabby enough. Times changed, Stevens did not, and he paid a price for it.

So play us a tune, Uncle Ted: