Will Stevens Testify?

Many of the questions swirling around the Stevens trial have been resolved in the past few weeks. However, other than the obvious question of Stevens' guilt or innocence, one persists:

As Ted Stevens's [sic] criminal trial heads into its final days, defense attorneys have been mum on whether the pugnacious 84-year-old senator will testify.

There's an undeniable set of both lucrative pros and dangerous cons inherent in the prospect of putting Stevens on the stand. Some think that because Stevens is notoriously cantankerous, putting him on the stand would contradict the glowing, noble image his defense has carefully crafted using star character witnesses like Colin Powell and Daniel Inouye. One snappish outburst could do more damage than the prosecution ever could.

I'm not entirely sure I buy the danger advanced by this argument. Stevens can be aggressive and even, yes, cranky, but most of the evidence that has formed this narrative has come from contentious arguments with reporters and fellow Senators. The courtroom is a different environment, even under the scrutiny of cross-examination. Stevens knows this. The man is a 50-year career politician; he can charm. Bill Clinton he is not, but he can give impassioned speeches, he can grip your hand and look you in the eye, and he can tell his story to a jury.

I would put him on the stand. It's not an entirely safe move, but it's a risk worth taking. The alternative makes him look like an aloof, out-of-touch, at-least-marginally-guilty Washington politician. He's not.

Let Ted Stevens tell the Ted Stevens story.