Stevens bids farewell to Senate

Senator Ted Stevens, who conceded his re-election race earlier this week, gave an at-times emotional farewell speech on the floor of the Senate this morning.

He reminded fellow senators that when he joined the most deliberative body 40 years ago, Alaska had joined the union only a decade earlier and many still doubted whether the 49th state could succeed.

"We proved that those doubters were wrong," Stevens declared. "Alaska is a great state....I'm proud to have a role in this transformation."

He had a lot to do with that, steering millions in federal aid to his state. But he also ran into trouble with how he did his political business.

A week before the election, Stevens, 85, was convicted in federal court in Washington of failing to disclose gifts and free home renovations he had received.

Stevens conceded defeat on Wednesday, shortly after Democrat Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage, held a news conference to declare victory after a count of absentee ballots gave him a 3,700-plus vote victory.