Editorial: Stevens Convicted

The conviction of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens shows what happens when officials, locally or on the national stage, delude themselves into believing their public service entitles them to more than a paycheck.

A federal jury in the District of Columbia convicted Stevens of violating ethics laws by failing to report $250,000 worth of gifts and remodeling work on his home in Alaska. The verdict disgraces the career of the longest-serving Republican in Senate history.

The diminutive Stevens, 84, was no fringe player in Congress. He was the longtime chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, wielding enormous power. He could direct billions in taxpayer dollars to projects he favored. It was during his reign that costly "earmarks" soared out of control, symbolized by the infamous "bridge to nowhere" that cost more than $200 million.

Considering his unrivaled influence in Washington, Stevens risked it all for a relatively puny personal reward. He received a gas grille, an SUV for a family member, two decks on his house, and a massage chair from the owner of an oil-services construction company.

For that, Stevens could get up to five years in prison. His downfall was a sense of entitlement, rather than a desire for personal enrichment.

Not only has Stevens ruined his own career, his arrogance has threatened his party's position in the Senate. Republicans are scrambling to prevent Democrats from winning a filibuster-proof 60 seats.

Stevens' wrongdoing increases the likelihood that the GOP will lose what should have been a safe seat in the reddest of red states.

Locally, two former titans of state government face similar legal peril. State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo (D., Phila.) is on trial in federal court for allegedly misusing taxpayer dollars and deploying Senate staffers as virtual servants.

Fumo's son-in-law became a taxpayer-paid general contractor to oversee renovations of Fumo's private mansion, according to testimony. Another Senate aide doubled as a housekeeper, prosecutors contend.

Fumo disputes the allegations. No matter what the outcome of his criminal trial, the charges forced him to abandon his career as the unrivaled master of state appropriations.

In New Jersey, the corruption trial of former state Sen. Wayne Bryant resumes tomorrow. The Camden County Democrat is accused of obtaining a "low-show" job paying $35,000-a-year at a state university in return for funneling millions of tax dollars to the school while he was Senate budget committee chairman.

Bryant is fighting the charges. The juries in these two cases haven't spoken yet.

But in Stevens' case, he refuses to hear the jury's message. Stevens is resisting calls to resign, proving that his focus has always been all about him.

If Stevens truly had the public's interest at heart, he would have taken himself out of the running for reelection after his indictment.

It's this kind of blinding sense of entitlement that puts public officials near and far on the path to dishonor.