like Chris Dodd, John Edwards, and Barack Obama as out-of-touch, then yes it is perfectly appropriate to mock, ridicule, and criticize said ailing senators.

Moreover, I disagree with the notion that he was one of our "best" Senators.  While reading the Pentagon Papers into the public record was noble - it was no more noble than the NY Times and Washington Post's printing of the Pentagon Papers.  And they did it first.

Gravel's advocacy for the lunatic national referendum is dangerous.  National referendum laws would essentially allow Richard Scaife and his ilk to set the national agenda.

Look I'm sure Mike Gravel is a nice man, I'm sure he means well, but he behavior is harmful to efforts to make real, effective change.  I have no sympathy for this old coot.  None.

Compared to Stevens, either Murkowski, or Rep. Young, he's Bobby Kennedy.  In youth and appearance as well as statesmanship.

Still, that says more about Alaska Goopers than it does about him. Think he could have an independent run against Palin in a couple of years and make it interesting? How about Lisa Murkowski?  Could he get enough votes in Alaska to deny the EVs to McCain? Or to sink Obama's uphill chance in Alaska completely?

He's the custodian of his own reputation. It's not our fault if he burned through his own credibility. Zell Miller had some great accomplishments as a governor, after all, and don't get me started on how some people have changed their views on Bill Clinton since he opened his mouth about Obama.

Someone should have intervened with him a year ago, but no one did.