Sen. Ted Stevens gives his last speech from the floor, after 40 years and seven felonies. Audio and summary available, here. He has some good words for the Alaska pipeline and still doesn’t take kindly to radical environmentalists who prevent Alaska tapping its natural resources. “To hell with politics, just do what’s right for Alaska,” has been his motto these many years, he said. Update: In other Alaska news, Begich enters the Senate with a flourish:
Mark Begich settled in Wednesday as Alaska’s newest U.S. senator-elect by doing what almost no other Democrat in Washington would ever do: declaring his support for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But this is Alaska, where Democrats are of a different stripe, Begich reminded those who haven’t seen many national-level Democrats from Alaska lately. “I think anyone who knows me knows I’m a different Democrat. I’m from Alaska. I’m a believer, a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, a supporter of drilling in ANWR. Alaskans are very liberal [in their belief that] government should not interfere in their personal life,” he said. “I’m definitely different from a New York Democrat — you can bank on that,” he said in response to a question from the New York Times.
