Ted Stevens

If you have been following AK politics recently, the continuing drama of Ted Stevens cannot have escaped your attention. I don't know how visible all of this has been to Outsiders ( what Alaskans call everyone else, particularly in the US, but also in the whole rest of the world), but it has been constantly in the public view here.
I don't know enough about the circumstances to be able to guess whether the charges against him were probably true or probably false, but I do know this. Everyone with even the slightest sense of proportion - and I do mean everyone - agrees that he has done a great deal for Alaska. There is a reason why, when you fly into Anchorage, the Ted Stevens International Airport is where you will land. Inumerable hospitals, schools, and public institutions exist because of his ability to bring home the bacon, and he is well-loved for it. Old people love him, young people love him, cats love him. Extreme left Democrats I work with love the man.
Anyway, he has conceded his Senate race to Mark Begich, now serving as Anchorage's mayor. (Current speculation is that people voted for Begich to get him the hell away from Anchorage.) Prior to the current excitement, he (Stevens) has had quite an interesting life. I urge interested parties to visit http://www.adn.com to view their pictorial history of his life and career. It starts with his service as a Flying Tiger in China during WWII, continues on through the years to today. Say what you will about the man, anyone whose political career can survive the shame of 70's hair like that will be back.