Is Sen. Ted Stevens dragging down the Republican Party?Is Sen. Ted Stevens dragging down the Republican Party? A slew of stories over the weekend in The New York Times, on NPR, and in The Washington Post report on a growing list of woes for the party and what it means for upcoming congressional races. Nearly all the stories give the ongoing federal investigation involving Stevens a short mention although most focus on the announced retirement of Sen. John W. Warner, R-Va., and resignation of Sen. Larry E. Craig, R-Idaho. Typical of the stories was this writeup in the Los Angeles Times: “Warner’s decision to retire comes as Senate Republicans have been hit by a series of political calamities, including Idaho Sen. Larry Craig’s guilty plea to disorderly conduct in a men’s restroom; a search by federal agents of the Alaska home of Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator; and Louisiana Sen. David Vitter’s apology for a “very serious sin” after his phone number turned up in the records of an alleged Washington madam. |
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