Reid: Stevens Cannot Serve In Senate

Roll Call:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was forced into the middle of Sen. Ted Stevens' (R-Alaska) re-election bid late Saturday night after a senior Senate Democrat endorsed Stevens and called on voters to disregard his seven-count felony conviction.

In a bluntly worded release from his office, Reid warned that Stevens would not only face an ethics investigation but also expulsion proceedings regardless of his efforts to appeal the convictions.

Read the whole story: Roll Call

Comments

[Bettysdad]

This story has to be false.

Reid has never done anything even mildly uncomfortable to a Republican.

[Rule Of Law]

The words arrogant and entitled spring to mind. Privileged, and protected, also.

He acts like he's a Rothschild.

[Brian187]

Go to Jail! Go directly to jail! Do not pass go, do not collect $200!

[archerlane]

Inouye statement advocating the sitting of a convicted felon in the Senate is blatement challenge to the rule of law and basic right and wrong. His statement demonstrates what is wrong with Washington in that the representatives think they are acoountable to only themselves. for Inouye to make this statement means he owes Stevens big time.
Stevens isa crook in the company of crooks called the US senate.

[roshni]

Investigate Inouye.
something fishy going on here.
I bet he owes favors for some illegal scheme.

[lobear00]

Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, did you fall off your chair and smack your head! Steven's is a convicted "Felon", He has given up his right to hold office. Wake! up senator or maybe your age has "Creeped up on you rather fast, and you as well should retire, and go home.
Lets not forget "When the little guy is convicted of "Felony violations he's locked up for a long time, but when a member of congress is convicted ! he still should be able to serve, and crimes forgotten! please senator Inouye clean that brain of yours out , or step down from your office.

[ThinkCreeps]

Anyone had nice relaxing sit down in one of Inouye's houses recently.
Something to hide there, Dan?

[FR]

Dan Inouye may be wrong on this one, but he's been right on almost everything else, including voting against the Iraq war. He has a long life of serving his country, in the military (when other Japanese-Americans were being interned) and in the Senate.
He is expressing loyalty to a very old friend and yes, I think it's misguided, but that does not negate what Inouye has done. Don't reduce this to age.

-dac253: I lived in Hawai'i for only four years, but I agree with your assessment of the man.
He is an under-appreciated giant.

[sposton]

The only difference between Stevens and most of the rest is Stevens' conviction. Most of them are just like him - sleazeballs.

[wadenelson1]

Which doesn't justify seating him.

Try that line next time you get pulled over for speeding and let me know how it works for you.

[sposton]

Stevens is an obnoxious boor with a conviction; he should not be seated, but we should not believe Stevens is a solitary rotten apple and the rest of them are just fine gentlemen. There is a small difference between him and most of them. They all deserve a boot in a the derrière.

[ArmyCentrist]

No Harry, let him run and lose to a Democrat, hold your fire until the results come out, and if he does win, pick Sarah's appointee apart piece by piece until they have to remove themselves, and she has to appoint a Democrat b/c Alaskans are so sick of her and her party!

[sposton]

Sarah's appointee could well be Sarah herself.

[wazzucoug]

God forbid, but this has been my thought all along!

[Rapid Ray]

Cool.

Think about it. Sarah Palin on the Senate floor with a Democratic majority.

She'd get more respect from a prison guard.

[mouselion]

No. It's not about theatrical rubbing his nose in his own poop. It's about propriety. The senate is now bound to hold ethics hearings, and Reid believes expulsion is imminent.

[nick1936]

Send that State Trooper to Senator Ted's house and get all those guns out of there for he is now a convicted FELON and according to the law he cannot possess them. If he has any arrest him

[PT6]

He wants to win for PAIN (I mean PLAIN, I mean PALIN) who will take his seat when

ALASKA prosecutes her and removes her from the Gov position!

[Deeniwhoo]

So Reid can step up to the plate and call for expulsion for Stevens, too little too late. Where were you, Sen. Reid, when we needed you to start impeachment procedings against bush?

[Actionmac]

If the dems had impeached bush the repubs would have joined them and would be seen in better position for election then they are now.

Some times you have to take the bitter to get to the sweet.

VOTE and GOTV for Obama/Biden and ALL the dem down ticket.

[philko]

Give me a freakin' break! You mean to say that if there is something that Congress can do that is a CLEAR benefit to the country and may have bipartisan support, then the best thing for the party in charge to do is to stifle it so that the opposing party doesn't look good???

I could understand if you cynically accused Reid of doing this, but to actually ADVOCATE this strategy is absurd.

It's not "taking the bitter to get the sweet" - it's cutting off your nose to spite your face.

I truly hope that Reid et al. chose to avoid impeachment proceedings because they thought it had *no* chance of success, and not (as you seem to advocate) because they thought it would succeed.

[DASChicago]

That's very true, thank's for your analysis, I always thought the plan was ingenious!

[Mer Mer Mer]

State Polling Graphs (Presidential and Senate):
http://voteforamerica.net/polls.aspx

Norm Coleman on the Ropes
http://voteforamerica.net/editorials/Comments.aspx?ArticleId=137&ArticleName=Norm+Coleman+on+the+Ropes

[alabaman]

I hope this is the new Reid, a man with some gonads.

[TakeTheCanolis]

Inouye needs his head examined. Friendship is no excuse for ethics violations. Inouye is a senior Senator with senior moments.

[dac253]

What if Inouye is right and Stevens is vindicated? I think people should wait for the appeal.

I lived in Hawaii for over 20 years, very proud of my distinguished and honorable senator. He was in the minority when it came to the 'Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq' and now he's in the minority again. I'd give the justice system a chance to either vindicate, or substantiate before we completely trash decorated veteran,... even if he's a Republican from Alaska.

[TakeTheCanolis]

I'm sick and tired of "decorated veterans" like Inouye and McCain, who don't give a damn about how much damage Bush has done to our Constitution and our economy. Stevens was found guilty in a fair trial. The burden is now on him to prove his innocence. Stevens has been and still is a staunch supporter of Bush's assault on humanity, on issues from the environment to torture. If Stevens remains in office, he will continue to be a drag on the planet.

In case you haven't noticed, sir, we have a huge mess to clean up after Bush leaves office. We don't need a convicted felon filibustering the Reconstruction. Inouye should value repair of our nation above his friendship with Stevens. Country first.

[valleygent]

IMPEACH THIS CRIMINAL. PERIOD.

[jeniferdaniels]

Ignore his convictions...what Democrat said this - Kwame Kilpatrick?

[chronic]

The Dem leaders in Mich. came down on Kwame real hard so get your facts or lies straight.



Oh, and get lost.