Stevens Not Likely to Recover Legacy

Legally, Ted Stevens is off the hook. But it's unlikely he'll be able to regain his stature, or the Senate honors he might otherwise have been afforded, Laurie Kellman writes for the AP. His peers were notably restrained in response to yesterday's news that Justice is likely to void the Alaska Republican's conviction on failure to report gifts because of prosecutorial misconduct. "Boy, how do you get your reputation back when you've been so smeared?" asked Orrin Hatch, conspicuously not offering to lead the charge.

Other responses from colleagues were similarly tepid. His best friend in the Senate, Daniel Inouye,  issued a noncommittal statement: "I believe the Justice Department did the right thing. I'm happy for Ted and his family." Aides in both parties say there are no moves afoot to honor the 85-year-old, the Senate's longest-serving Republican.
(More Ted Stevens stories.)