Ted Stevens’ current location, courtesy of NRSC Chair and Senate colleague John Ensign:

National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman John Ensign (Nev.) offered a strong condemnation of Stevens and seemed to hint that this conviction would lead to his defeat.

“This is a sad day for the United States Senate,” said Ensign. “Ted Stevens served his constituents for over 40 years and I am disappointed to see his career end in disgrace.”

Again, while this is a great coda to Stevens’ ability to claim clout in Washington, it’s not yet clear how Alaskans will respond.  Beyond throwing Stevens’ under the bus for his corruption and making clear that Stevens’ won’t be getting help from national Republicans, Ensign has ensured that he has no standing to argue otherwise with Alaska’s voters with the phrase “in disgrace.”

There’s a phrase my friend and coworker Tim Tagaris taught me on primary day of the 2006 Connecticut Senate campaign: “When your opponent is drowning, throw them an anchor.”

John Ensign just threw Stevens an anchor. And he’s the NRSC chair.