Ted Stevens says that he was only (anonymously) holding up the bill until a cost/benefit analysis could be performed on it.

[Excuse me a minute]

[Sorry, give me another minute or so]

[Almost ready now…no, wait, another minute or two]

OK, sorry. Phew. Oh, gosh…man, my sides hurt.

I may have even moistened my pants.

Anyway, where was I?

Oh, right. So he wants a cost/benefit analysis? Here’s a cost/benefit analysis.

• One set of redundant web servers and enough electricity to run them for a year: $10,000
• One redundant T3 broadband connection per year: $30,000
• Staff of ten to maintain web site and keep it updated for one year: $1.5 million
• Exposing and killing a two-hundred-million-dollar “bridge to nowhere”? Priceless.

[Evening update]

Mark Tapscott has additional thoughts.