The IRS Investigates a Senator

Ted Stevens, the cantankerous 83-year-old senior senator from Alaska, has served in the Senate longer than any Republican.

A regular target of the Daily Show for his outburst on the Senate floor when he tried to preserve the funding for the famed "Bridge to Nowhere" being built in his home state, Stevens now finds himself under much more serious scrutiny.

The senator announced that his home and office had been searched by the F.B.I. and I.R.S. in relation to a bribery probe involving an Alaskan energy company, Veco.

The Senator has already acknowledged that his son, an Alaska State Senator, is under investigation for taking bribes from the company, who's chairman has already pleaded guilty to bribing state officials.

At issue with Stevens is whether the company paid for upgrades to his home near an Alaskan ski resort.

To be fair to Stevens, it's hard to imagine why someone who'd gotten so used to a Senator's salary would suddenly feel the need to start accepting bribes after nearly 40 years in the Senate. If someone was on the take wouldn't they have done so much earlier?

Of course, he may have been ont he take for years but there's no evidence to suggest that. Stevens has denied any impropriety and has asked his constituents not to draw conclusions.

One conclusion that can be drawn, though, is that the Democrats now have another boost for the lobbying reform measure. Although bribes are already illegal, of course, anything that makes Washington look more scandal plagued makes it easier to pass reform legislation. But that's a few weeks away.

As for tonight, wanna make a bet that Jon Stewart does something with Stevens this evening?