USS Stevens...I Think Not

So a group of Senators has passed a Sense of the Senate resolution that they'd like a capital ship named after the late Sen Ted Stevens.  You can read about it here.

Naming of ships has become pretty interesting.  There was a small uproar when Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, named a ship the USS Gabrielle Giffords a year or so ago.  It is one of the Littoral Combat Ships.  The outrage isn't that she isn't deserving of recognition.  She is.  She is a former member of Congress from Arizona and a brave woman.  She is married to a retired Navy Captain (and astronaut).  But not this.  It's not in keeping with the naming conventions of that ship and it's just not appropriate.  But Mabus is a political beast and knows how to make hay.

Then he names one of the new LPD-17 class ships after former Congressman John Murtha.  Murtha was a retired Marine.  He was also the king of pork.  He was also among the first to criticize the military in Congress.  He also had his problems with corruption.  But now his name will be on a Navy warship.  Unbelievable.

So given that some Senators want Stevens name on a ship and that Mabus cowtows like the political lackey that he is, watch for the next big ship naming to be Stevens.  But here's the deal.  He was a WWII veteran but in the Air Corps.  Never had anything to do with the Navy.  He spent his life as a politician.  If Murtha was the king of pork, Stevens was the prince.  Remember the bridge to nowhere?  Yep...that was his.  He was also indicted and convicted on seven counts of corruption.  The conviction was later overturned but...where there's smoke, there's fire.

So I think it's a bad idea.  It dishonors all those who should be considered for having their name on a capital warship.  It's controversial and demeaning.  But...it's political...so it will probably happen.