He's now on his own (07/31/2008)

It's always unseemly to take pleasure in the problems of others.

But we'd be lying if we said Tuesday's indictment of Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens was an unhappy event.

There's been an odor of corruption about Alaskan politics for at least a generation, and Stevens has been the subject of rumors and allegations for years.

He's been virtually untouchable, one of the most powerful Republicans in the Senate. At one point, he was chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Committee, overseeing federal expenditures in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

But he has also been an embarrassment to his party.

Main Street Republicans and thoughtful conservatives cringe at the thought of "the bridge to nowhere" that exemplified the Stevens approach to pork barrel spending.

Now the question will be whether, in a hotly contested election year, GOP leadership will focus more on principle or political strategy as it deals with the Stevens mess.

So far, there are encouraging signs that principle may win out.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been studiously silent when it comes to giving Stevens words of support.

Instead of trying to make sure the Republican Party holds onto that seat, McConnell is sticking with the party's core beliefs - particularly when it comes to government spending - that old pols like Stevens have treated cynically.

At this point, the message to Stevens from GOP leadership is simple: You're on your own.

That's as it should be. - J.R.

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