Bada boom boom boom "Another one bites the dust". Bada boom boom boom "Another one bites the dust."

Nearly two years after the FBI raided his office, state Sen. John Cowdery was indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges.

The Anchorage Republican is accused of scheming with Veco Corp. executives to buy the vote of another senator in the battle for an oil tax favored by North Slope oil producers.

According to the 16-page indictment, Cowdery and others conspired in 2006 to give another senator $25,000, characterized as campaign contributions. The indictment was handed up by a grand jury Wednesday and filed in U.S. District Court on Thursday.

Cowdery was not arrested. He's been summoned to appear in U.S. District Court in Anchorage on Aug. 11.

Cowdery makes the fourth Republican to be indicted. And the noose is tightening on Ted Stevens son, Ben Stevens, and Don Young who has already spent millions on legal bills.

There has never been a better time for Democrats in this state and we may soon see two of our progressive party candidates heading to Washington after the fall elections.

Mark Begich has an uphill struggle against the perennial Ted Stevens, but his poll numbers are currently higher which bodes well for him, and Ethan Berkowitz is challenging Representative Don Young, who very well may be indicted before the November votes can be cast. So all in all this is looking very good for the Democrats.

If we can coax Barack Obama up here before the fall this may be the first year that Alaska has gone all Democrat in its entire voting history. Wow won't that feel good!