BREAKING NEWS: McCain calls for Sen. Ted Stevens to step down following his conviction

[TwilightZone]

Source: MSNBC

Senator John McCain called on Senator Ted Stevens to step down on Tuesday, a day after he was found guilty of corruption.

"It is clear that Senator Stevens has broken his trust with the people and that he should now step down," the Republican presidential candidate said in a statement.

McCain added, "I hope that my colleagues in the Senate will be spurred by these events to redouble their efforts to end this kind of corruption once and for all."

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27418037/

---

Pretty mavericky, huh?

[berni_mccoy]

1. Sorry John, the Albatross doesn't fall off so easily. Nice try though.

[L. Coyote]

29. PALIN: 'I have great respect for him' Love-in video

'I have great respect for him'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YptTFDsktVQ

PALIN is a Stevens creation!!

[hobbit709]

2. "If you are caught, we disavow any involvement with you"

[paparush]

27. DING! DING! DING!

Key phrase - "if you are caught"

Otherwise, McCain is as proud of you as he is all those people at his rallies screaming "terrorist" and "kill him".

[Wickerman]

3. What a Mavericky thing to do!

And totally obvious, too. :eyes:

[grace0418]

37. Yeah, he got all mavricky on his ass for sure.

Nobody could've predicted he'd distance himself. :)

[mucifer]

4. wow john is such a maverick.

[AllieB]

5. McCain wants to hand the Senate seat to Democrat Mark Begich?

Now that's interesting. He's also just asking for someone in the corporate media to show those pictures of Caribou Barbie with Ted Stevens when she was a director of his 527 group. He should have ignored it.

[msongs]

7. maybe stepping down would invalidate the election? nt

[endarkenment]

8. I don't think so.

[seasat]

18. And he'll turn off some Repub voters with that call

He should have given the safe non-committal type of answer, if he was smart. Stevens the Grifter is popular with the Repub base. They'll view this conviction as attacks by liberals. What little gain (if any) that he makes with independents will be lost in the Repub base.

Strategically for the Repubs, it would be safer to wait until after the election and, if Stevens by some hook or crook wins, then get him to resign. That way they can put a better candidate in place for the special election (After Murkowski's appointment, they don't allow the governor to appoint Senators in AK.).

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Stevens to McCain - f**k off, loser

Any bets?

[central scrutinizer]

9. See, he's bucking his party again

as if that were some sort of qualification for anything

[endarkenment]

10. Stevens will most likely tell John to fuck off.

He will appeal for years and probably thinks he can get re-elected on tuesday.

[Marrah_G]

22. no love lost between the two.

[dbonds]

11. And the countdown to the final implosion has begun.

[CoffeeCat]

12. Isn't this a slap in the face to Palin?

As corrupt as Stevens is, Stevens is one of Palin's pals--isn't he?

I'm sure Palin has to publicly denounce what Stevens has done, but McCain takes it a few steps
farther. He didn't have to do this. It wasn't essential that McCain do this.

I say it was a dig and some added pressure on one of Palin's pals.

[tibbiit]

17. Not really pals

There has been lots of bad blood btwn palin and stevens, and she is not really pals with anyone.
And I wont be surprised if the people still vote Stevens in.
That doesnt mean I would ever vote for stevens, since I have supported Mark for years.
But the reality is people are nuts for that old man, beyond comprehension.
tib

[soccermomforobama]

24. Some could see it as such since her growing relationship with

Stevens was one of the reasons she did not want Moneghan traveling to DC to seek funds to deal with sexual assault cases. (per emails released by the McCain campaign)

In a July 7 e-mail, John Katz, the governor's special counsel, noted two problems with the trip: The governor hadn't agreed the money should be sought, and the request was "out of sequence with our other appropriations requests and could put a strain on the evolving relationship between the Governor and Sen. (Ted) Stevens."

Four days later, Monegan was fired. He said he had kept others in the administration fully apprised of his plans to go to Washington.

http://cbs5.com/campaign08/Sarah.Palin.troopergate.2.818505.html

[radfringe]

13. Pretty mavericky, huh?

more like "pretty save-my-assier".. lol

[LSdemocrat]

14. Nice to see McCain keep this in the news cycle

Yes, John feel free to keep railing against Republican corruption, especially in cases where the convict has close ties to your own VP candidate.

[Tiggeroshii]

15. And Ted Stevens replies:

"NO! NO!!!"

[sofa king]

16. McCain's campaign is so negative it's now running against its own party!

[Auggie]

19. It's desperation time

[Marrah_G]

20. I would hope every Senator says the same.

[karynnj]

28. I agree - though it may be that they are giving Stevens the time

to do the right thing himself. I would expect that if he does nothing and wins the election, most Senators will call for him to step down then.

The timing is extremely awkward as I doubt he could be replaced on the ballot at this point. Oddly, the best resolution for Stevens might be that he loses the election next week and immediately steps down in favor of the Democrat. (This would actually give the Alaskan Democrat a small increase in seniority vs the other new Senators - though insignificant in terms of what Alaska was used to) This would be a good thing for Democratic Senators to push for as it gives them another seat in the lame duck session and avoids the ugliness of piling on a elderly man who entire life has imploded.

He still faces being a convicted felon and possible jail time. Consequences he deserved.

[okieinpain]

21. he better be careful before old dude pulls up some dirt on his

running mate.

[bemildred]

23. Et tu Brute? nt

[area51]

25. Of course Ted Stevens will need to step down ...

... he's got to free up that seat for Sarah Palin. :evilgrin:

[L. Coyote]

26. "Wow. I didn't know Ted was such a Maverick." John. "I knew." Sarah

See the July 2008 Palin-Stevens Love-in Video here:

Palin on Ted Stevens: 'I have great respect for him'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YptTFDsktVQ

[Panhandle Dem]

30. Maybe he should ask Palin

to step down also. Didn't they recently find that she abused her power in the Troopergate scandal? Sounds like she has broken her trust with the people. Go ahead John, tell her to step down. Be a real maverick!

[LynnTheDem]

31. And when did John McCain call for Palin to step down over her ethics violations...

*chirp*

[goforit]

32. Hmmm.... Keep trying John. Good pick on this one.

[katandmoon]

33. Did this strike anybody else as an FU from McCain's camp to Palin's?

[TwilightZone]

35. Very possible

Likely, in fact.

[2Design]

34. sounds like similar charges can be brought against palin and how their house got built n/t

[scarface2004]

36. what??? no medal of freedom for bridge to nowhere?!?!

c mon john, you gotta do better than that!!

[suston96]

38. Here's a thought: Stevens steps down now. Palin appoints herself to take his place.......

...she finishes this campaign and then goes to the US Senate to bask in glory for 2 months.

[TwilightZone]

39. Maybe she'll appoint Todd.

That would pretty much solidify her status as Queen of Cronyism.

[Democat]

40. McCain attacking Palin's friends in Alaska?

How much would we pay to see what's going on inside of this campaign? :rofl:

[stlsaxman]

41. Why should he?!?! Did McCain "step down" after Keating????

Senator- me thinks thou dost protest too much.

[yellowcanine]

42. Breaking News: No one really cares what McGrumpy "calls for" anymore.

Not Ted Stevens. Not anyone else.

[truthisfreedom]

43. Palin was pallin' around with that felon, McJudgemental. Whatever happened to friends to the end?

Huh? Where's the loyalty?

[TwilightZone]

44. This has certainly turned into an odd campaign.

When the P/VP candidates on the same ticket seem to be running against each other, it's not a good sign for the Rs.