Stevens gives last Senate speech as staffers weep

[onehandle]

Source: AP

WASHINGTON – Ted Stevens, an old-style Senate giant and the chamber's longest-serving Republican, delivered his swansong address and yielded the floor for the final time Thursday. He was saluted by his colleagues as a staunch friend and teacher.

Family members and aides wept openly in the gallery as Stevens, who turned 85 this week, spoke of having "no rearview mirror" and looking forward to a time when he might be vindicated. He lost his bid for a seventh term this week after his convictions in federal court on charges of lying about gifts on disclosure forms.

"I only look forward and I still see the day when I can remove the cloud that currently surrounds me," Stevens said.

The speech was a poignant coda to a four-decade Senate career that began not 10 years after his home state, Alaska, achieved statehood. It came as the 110th Congress finished business with a sizable caucus of senators over age 80 whose regard for each other transcended their party affiliation.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081120/ap_on_go_co/senate_...

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Waaaaah! We're Unemployed!

Welcome to "Real America," bitches.

[Parche]

1. I Am Kind Of Weeping Too...

Yeah................Tears Of Joy

[EconomicLiberal]

2. Boo hoo.

Cry me a river.

[Scairp]

34. Ditto

Did you read the Post story on this? Talk about revulsion. I have no clue how anyone in that body could get up and say anything respectful or kind to or about that convicted old coot. It's just psychotic. The only decent thing he has done for Alaska or the Senate was to give up the race. Say something positive about that, but all that other shite, give me a f**king break. He deserves nothing but contempt and he gets kudos. Puke.

[saigon68]

40. A Convicted Felon------ Soon to be pardoned by

THE AWOL CHIMPANZEE

[doublethink]

3. LMAO !!

Is that wrong of me to laugh at this? Oh well..... and it feels good.

[notadmblnd]

4. They're only weeping for themselves.

[merh]

5. I betcha Palin has shed some tears too.

[Bette Noir]

22. What a relief.

[hamsterjill]

29. I betcha by golly fur sure she has shed some tears, too!

She probably already had her Senate wardrobe picked out!!! LOL

[tanyev]

30. It can be painful when God slams the door in your face.

[merh]

31. especially if you were plowing through just as it slammed

[goclark]

6. I'm crying too

false tears

[aquart]

7. They're going to be unemployed now, aren't they?

Been with him for years....that makes them over forty, doesn't it? But too young for social security?

Just in time to join the bread lines.

[George II]

8. Did the Sargeant at Arms put him in legirons as he left the floor?

[Scairp]

35. Don't get your hopes up

My guess, Dickhead Dubya will pardon him.

[uppityperson]

9. I only look forward and I still see the day when I can remove the cloud that currently surrounds me,

We can too, Ted. And we are weeping tears of joy also.

[Lorentz]

14. Where Ted's going, he's not going to be surrounded by clouds...

Fire and brimstone, more likely.

[MurrayDelph]

26. Those aren't clouds, it's dust

from all of the dirt you've been involved in.

[LynnTheDem]

10. Yes, how very sad for a convicted criminal to have to leave public office.

Especially as he was forced to become a criminal who was caught and convicted.

That ol' "lock em up forever" rhetoric is only to be used against criminals who have a (D) after their names!!1!

[Joe Chi Minh]

24. "A giant!!" What does that tell you about the Yahoo news "ethic"?

[George II]

11. Here's a "shout out" to the voters of Alaska....

...you get extra credit for voting that crooked bastard out of office. But you also get two demerits for allowing him to stay in office for 40 years!

[dipsydoodle]

12. I bet he cried infamey, infamey

they've all got it in for me.

I stole that line from a Carry On film.

[cosmicone]

13. My heart breaks

[Mugweed]

15. He then accepted one last bribe for old time's sake,

and then tried to secure $2,000,000 in Homeland Security funds for protection of a thrift store in Anchorage. "One for the road!" he shouted as he gave the finger to the other side of the aisle.

[Jersey Devil]

16. A song in tribute to Uncle Ted

Boo Fucking Hoo!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjHJ_snG3RI

[Xipe Totec]

17. Cry me an ice floe n/t

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

18. The Old Bastard

Let's get that orange jumpsuit ready.

[smiley]

19. criminals saying goodbye to a criminal.

they all are and nothing at this point can make me think otherwise.

[E-Z-B]

20. I thought he already gave his farewell speech after the Bridge to Nowhere was cut

[Bette Noir]

21. Another one bites the dust.

And he's not "unemployed," he's retired. He's freakin' 85, fer Chrissakes!

[2Design]

23. unemployed BUt receiving in retirement more than most make

congress gets higher than the median income in usa

[RedLetterRev]

25. Crying? Not me

The first thing that popped into my mind was that old Louis Armstrong/Cab Calloway tune, "I'll be glad when you is dead, you rascal, you".

I know. I'll pray on it later. Maybe.

[DogPoundPup]

27. How many trees did it take for his speech's ' paper record'? Watch the video...

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Corruptiontainted_Alaska_...

Such drama!

[mitchum]

28. May that old sonofabitch die in prison

[Earth_First]

32. UNEMPLOY'D! n/t

[Hand]

33. Quick! Quick! ...

[Blue_Tires]

36. "Family members and aides wept openly?!?"

"boo-hoo-hoo! our gravy train is over and we'll now have to WORK for a living!"

[MadMaddie]

37. He won't be unemployed for long because when he goes

to prison he can get paid 50 cents an hour to the contractor prisons that he and his Repug cronies helped build. He can produce goods that get sold....hope he enjoys himself!

[Canuckistanian]

38. "rear-view mirrors" sometimes come in pretty handy

Sometimes, they help you avoid disasters.

Just a little "political driving tip" for you, former Senator Stevens.

[superconnected]

39. The incumbant lost an election, his staffers should have been prepared.

Their jobs are up for grabs every 4 years at election time and this time he has some pretty serious stuff on him.

Strange the real possibility of him going to prison hasn't struck them as a reason they'd be out of a job anyway. How many lies has this guy told them?