Friday's news full of mixed blessings for Senator Ted Stevens

As detailed in this local news report, Alaska's Senator Ted Stevens got some bad political news on Friday when more vote counting put him further behind in his race with Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.  However, there are tens of thousands of ballots still to be counted before Senator Stevens must give up hope of having been returned by Alaskan voters to the U.S. Senate.

Meanwhile, as detailed in this blog post, Alaska's Senator Ted Stevens got some good sentencing news on Friday when a split DC Circuit panel affirmed a below-guideline sentence of probation for a tax cheat.  Though there are many sentencing questions that will need to be addressed before I am prepared to predict Stevens' sentencing fate, the DC Circuit's ruling in Gardellini ensures that Stevens' lawyers will be able to effectively advocate against any prison term for the "Alaskan of the Century" (that's last century, I believe).

Some recent related Stevens posts:

• Senator Stevens convicted on all counts
• Some sentencing questions after Senator Stevens conviction
• How should (and will) Senator Stevens' political past and future impact his sentencing?
• Senator Ted Stevens not (yet) disenfranchised
• Will Senator Stevens pay at sentencing for election-related comments?
• Another appellate issue for Senator Stevens?
• Has a mega-jury in Alaska essentially rejected the DC jury's conviction of Senator Stevens?
• As more Alaskan votes are counted, Senator Stevens may have more time to focus on sentencing issues