In this clip, Sen. Ted Stevens endorses Sarah Palin for governor of Alaska. John McCain tapped Palin as his running mate today.

The McCain camp is marketing Palin as a new breed of politician. Palin's longstanding alliance with Stevens undercuts her image as a reformer. Palin claims she stood up to a culture of corruption in Alaska. Stevens has become a symbol of everything that's wrong with the way business is done in Washington. Over his 40 years in the Senate, he has garnered billions of dollars in wasteful earmarks for Alaska. Perhaps his most notorious boondoggle being the "Bridge to Nowhere."

Palin and Stevens have been political allies since before Palin became governor. They share a passion for Alaska natural gas pipeline projects and drilling in ANWR.

On July 2, 2008, Stevens and Palin held a joint press conference on energy issues. During that session, a reporter asked Stevens and Palin whether there was any truth to rumors of a rift between the two. Both vehemently denied that their relationship had soured over Palin's criticism of some of Stevens earmarks. To prove his point, Stevens put his arm around a smiling Palin.

"I have great respect for the Senator," Palin said, "He needs to be heard across America. His voice, his experience, his passion needs to be heard across America--so that Alaska can contribute more."

She added, "There's a big difference between reality and perception regarding our relationship."

Indeed, there is much we don't understand about their relationship. Here, we see Palin and Stevens at a July 3 ribbon-cutting ceremony:

On July 29, Stevens was indicted on federal corruption charges.