I wish this was an April Fools joke...

I was well-pleased when Senator Ted Stevens was convicted in court and, subsequently, lost his Senate seat in the last election. Now, before sentencing has been set, the Justice Department has decided to drop the charges, due to evidence that should have been turned over to Stevens's defense, but wasn't. That's bad enough... but what's worse, they're not going to run a new trial, now that all the evidence is available. (link)

Of course, the Justice Department is spinning their choice as being in deference to the advanced age of Stevens (85), and the fact that he's no longer in the Senate. Stevens's team, on the other hand, is spinning it as a corrupt prosecution, and, of course, their client was wholly innocent the entire time... and that's why a new trial needs to be held.

As things stand, Stevens is now a political martyr for his party, unjustly accused and thrown out of power, a shining example of what's wrong with "the government"... and anybody who thinks nobody will take that tack with this story is entirely too naive. Heck, it's not even unthinkable that Stevens himself won't take another run at government on just such a platform... he didn't loose his senate seat by that large of a margin, and he certainly has name recognition in Alaska. He doesn't even need to wait for his Senate seat to come up when he's 91... he could just as easily do a term or two in the House of Representatives first.

This is a situation where certainty is needed, and considerations for the age and status of the accused are inappropriate. If the evidence is there to convict Stevens, then bring on a new trial. If, on the other hand, the totality of the evidence is so weak that you can't convict, then say so, however embarrassing for the Justice Department it may be. Oh, and be sure to let us know what you intend to do about your "rogue" prosecutors... don't add to this festering pile by letting them quietly slip away, too.