Comments (15)

Dr. Wu wrote on July 17, 2007 11:53 AM:

To be fair, the forms are really complicated. He's having trouble figuring out the differences between "bribery," "graft," "payoffs" and "kickbacks."

ike wrote on July 17, 2007 12:10 PM:

What does Stevens do in return? A lot! For example, he was the guy who made sure that oil executives did NOT have to be sworn in before testifying to Congress back in 2005, particularly about their relationships with the Cheney Energy Task Force.

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12805

gonzone wrote on July 17, 2007 12:15 PM:

Corrupt cronies can't do the maths.

Is their children learning?

chabuka wrote on July 17, 2007 12:29 PM:

Seems like we have a bunch of politicians in both parties covering up, enabling and looking the other way when it comes to the "peoples business", could it be that every one in the House, the Senate, the Judicial and the Administration is nothiong more than a bunch of, corrupt, entitled, crooked people with titles..like Senator, Congressman, Attorney General, President...etc.?

Ted "Hulk" Stevens wrote on July 17, 2007 2:54 PM:

Hai - toobz r kinda full right now. Need a few daze to catagorize some ah mah' bidness. Some of theze transactions w/ mah' homies don't really make sense on tha' papaz, so I gotta move 'em off tha' bookz. You know how we roll. Well, peeze-out homies. I gotta go get a big eraser.

Crooked T.

oldtree wrote on July 17, 2007 3:08 PM:

I just can't add anything to what you guys said! I'm speechless in between laughter

Justuz wrote on July 17, 2007 4:17 PM:

You Got dat rite

heh wrote on July 17, 2007 6:33 PM:

GD you unky Ted.

I remember how he was when they were in the majority.

He knew what he was doing to get the GOP agenda passed, and he did it. Nice little man foot soldier.

the senior senator from that wilderness state that doesn't send much federal dollars, yet he got billions for his state. Oh, and Alaska residents get some kind of oil revenue share. Must be nice.

YUK!

Frank wrote on July 17, 2007 10:19 PM:

What can you expect from this public servant insult,who slips in a pork line item to fund the building of a bridge to nowhere in Alaska?

VictorLaszlo wrote on July 18, 2007 12:03 AM:

From Josh's post on the front page:

(Stevens) "As a practical matter, I will tell you. We paid every bill that was given to us. Every bill that was sent to us has been paid, personally, with our own money, and that's all there is to it. It's our own money."

Let's play Spot The Qualifier:
"every bill that was given to us. Every bill that was sent to us"

So all he's saying is that no one ever sent him a bill for the kickback-related stuff. Right?

johnnydoughey wrote on July 18, 2007 12:05 AM:

It's interesting to note that Stevens has said he paid all the bills that came to him during the remodel on his home... probably totalled thirty five dollars for the pizza and beer delivered one day while the oil guys were at a meeting somewhere...

Neighborly wrote on July 18, 2007 12:31 AM:

Yup, he paid every bill they sent to him. But oh my, he gets home one day much later and there's a new carpet in the house - oh, how comfortable. Gee, where did that come from? I wonder if we'll get a bill for that too? And he comes home another time and there's a new front porch - oh, let's jsut sit on it and discuss oil business - we can worry later about what contractor must have worked on the wrong house. And another day he comes home and miracle of miracles, all the faucets have been gold plated - how shiny - guess we'll have to consider changing the locks some day, as obviously the contractors kept the keys.

Maybe they considered the Senator just too busy cooking corruption stew, to send the bills...

yep wrote on July 18, 2007 12:37 AM:

Neighborly: EXACTLY!!!
That was a non-denial-denial if ever there was one. I am sure he paid every bill he was presented; no one is arguing with him. The issue is why the contractor would not bill him for all that work.

It is like he is saying the controversy is that he is a behind on his bills.

714Day wrote on July 18, 2007 4:12 AM:

"the senior senator from that wilderness state that doesn't send much federal dollars, yet he got billions for his state. Oh, and Alaska residents get some kind of oil revenue share. Must be nice."
Posted by: heh
Date: July 17, 2007 6:33 PM
In fact, Alaska is a cash cow as re fed dollars. All that oil sucked out of the place is taxed. Even with the current cozy relationship between big oil and the government (nothing new - just more blatantly obscene, now) it's a big chunk of change to throw down the rabbit hole in places like Iraq.
Damned straight Alaskans get a cut in oil revenue. [When California tried to institute a quid pro quo (vastly less ambitious pooled payment to State treasury) oil companies ran the price hike for fuel boogeyman around at night.] Some clever Alaskans realized they would all be impacted and made the oil companies blink for their profits - which are still famously bloated.

Joe Mullen wrote on July 18, 2007 11:18 AM:

Am I parsing Stevens's comment too closely by pointing out that he says he paid all bills "presented" to him? That statement looks carefully crafted to leave out bills that were not "presented" to him, but were paid by someone else. JM