Washington, D.C. ? Caught on tape discussing the burgeoning corruption probe against him two years ago, Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, was both combative and pragmatic, denying in sometimes coarse language that he and a friend had done anything wrong but also acknowledging that they might face fines or even prison.

“You got to get a mental attitude that these guys can’t really hurt us. They’re not going to shoot us. It’s not Iraq. What the hell,” the six-term lawmaker said in a telephone conversation with oilman Bill J. Allen recorded by the FBI.

“Worst thing can happen to us is we run up a bunch of legal fees … and might have to pay a fine … might have to serve a little time in jail,” Stevens continued.

The recordings were made in August, September and October 2006, with the permission of Allen, a longtime friend of Stevens who had just been confronted by federal agents about his role in an influence-peddling scheme.