“I have not been convicted of anything yet,” he said, a reference to the fact that a conviction does not formally take place until a judge enters final judgment upon sentencing. The guilty verdicts, he said, were “a temporary situation,” an incremental setback until a judge throws them out or Mr. Stevens wins on appeal.
It was a distinctive way of seeing things, to be sure...
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This is a competent follow-up story that focuses on the longtime GOP senator Stevens who with seven felonies may soon be a longtime felon--that is, if he isn't also re-elected on the lame excuse that the federal government prejudiced his jury trial. The article ends with an apt quote meant to appeal to the state of Alaska but speaks to the kind of appeal that Stevens has planned, indicative of his state of mind and denial: “On Tuesday, let’s tell Washington that Alaska will decide this Senate race.”
This quote is more than an appeal to Alaskans. Stevens is telepromting a message to Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, a D.C.-born, Howard-educated Clinton-era appointee who denied a motion to move the trial to Alaska. Stevens not only may appeal on that ground but also on the ethnic make-up of a D.C.-chosen jury. He'll also blame losing the election on the judge's denied change of venue. And if he wins, it may be just in time for outgoing President George Bush to grant a pardon, his last and only hope.
“I have not been convicted of anything yet,” he said, a reference to the fact that a conviction does not formally take place until a judge enters final judgment upon ... More »
To fully understand the environment in which Senator Stevens operates, it is essential to see this case from the Alaskan point of view. Yardley's piece provides just that perspective.
Alaska remains the wildest west in the US, whether its citizens appreciate statehood or not. It is interesting to conjecture precisely how the most avid Alaska separatist would feel about the US government if they understood how much taxpayer money from the "lower 48" has been diverted to support their interests.
“In a lot of states, this would be a slam dunk, like 80 to 20,” said Ms. Bailey, a FedEx pilot, referring to a hypothetical margin of defeat for Mr. Stevens. “But I ... More »
I always admire reporters who can restrain themselves from the print equivalent of laughing when quoting stuff like this. Yardley manages not only that, but to paint an evocative picture of one of the grand old men of the Senate who just can't quite believe his time is over.
Need a long Sunday magazine piece on this state that 'can stir up plenty of bitterness toward the federal government', especially considering that the population of Alaska is a major welfare case for the central government.
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