text: Here's a factual comparison for ya that Erica missed.  At the start of the 91st Congress (January 3, 1969), Ted Stevens was 87th in seniority by virtue of his appointment, with Mike Gravel at 100th by virtue of Alaska's miniscule population.  After two years, Gravel made it to 89th.  After fourteen years, Stevens made it to 17th.  Fast forward to more modern times and we see that in 2003, Lisa was 92nd by virtue of her appointment, with Ohio Dan 100th at the start of his term two years ago.  As of this session, Lisa is at 25th and Ohio Dan is at 93rd.  With seniority viewed as all-important in the Senate, perhaps we're not going to get it as good as we once had no matter how you slice it.