“A sad day for Alaska yesterday when he was found guilty of seven felonies. But — and now he needs to do the right thing, and the right thing is, as he’s proclaiming his innocence and proclaiming, too, that he will go through the appellate process, OK, then he needs to step aside and allow our state to elect someone who will be supportive of those ideals of America: the free enterprise, the missions that we’re on, to win the war, those things that have got to take place in order to progress this country. Ted Stevens has got to play a very statesmanlike role in this now.”

That was Sarah Palin talking about Ted Stevens last October. Now she thinks that Mark Begich should resign so Alaska can hold another election, despite Begich wining fair and square.

I think what really gets me on this whole thing is how Republicans acted when the Democrats started talking about problems at the Bush Justice Department. Democrats were on a “political witch hunt” according to all those on the right. Now that the flaws of Bush justice has ensnarled one of their own, the Republicans want to declare a mulligan. Sorry, but this is the price you –pay for putting party loyalty above country.