McCain discovers telephone.

After snubbing Letterman's show in favor of "returning to D.C." to work on the emergency bail out (only to show up across the street for another interview), McCain made an incredible discovery today which allows long distance voice and data communication through a wire. These wires, which sprang up all over the nation over night, allow electronic signals to be carried from a variety of distances, even world wide. So, instead of returning to D.C. to perform whatever work one lone senator can do on such a massive problem, McCain has decided to do all his work by telephone. He could stay home, maybe watch a little of the daily soaps, perhaps check his email every few hours, you know, just in case he might be needed. Then later on he could watch a little Leno.

Think Progress

"The Last Confessions of E. Howard Hunt"

The April 5, 2007 issue of Rolling Stone featured an interesting article which contained a deathbed confession of E. Howard Hunt, a noted CIA Spy and figure in the Bay of Pigs, Watergate scandal and Nixon administration. Hunt, before his death, gave this confession to his son so that the secret would not die with him. The article was by Erik Hedegaard

According to the confession, which was given over several father-son meetings, Lyndon B. Johnson gave the orders for President Kennedy to be taken out; the orders were given to a assassination squad organized by the CIA. He also supplied the names of the actual killers, which included Frank Sturgis, William Harvey, David Morales, Antonio Veciana, David Atlee Philips, Cord Meyer and Lucien Sarti.

Article: Rolling Stone

Let's get this show on the road!

Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution

"The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

The procedure:
Impeachment resolutions, written by members of the House, are turned over to the House Judiciary Committee which then decides the validity of the resolution, the claims within and whether the claims merit a referral to the House for a formal vote.

The House then votes on whether to hold formal impeachment hearings, a simple majority is required to proceed.

If a majority approves the measure, the House Judiciary Committee conducts and investigation to determine if enough evidence is available to warrant indictment of the President. Formal articles of impeachment are drafted, including the specific charges that are supported by evidence. The Committee must vote on each article of impeachment in order for them to be sent to the House floor.

The House votes on whether a trial in the Senate is necessary, this requires a simple majority.

If a majority approves the articles of impeachment a trial is prepared in the Senate with special members of the House acting as prosecutors.

With the Chief Justice presiding, a formal trial is held in the Senate. The President may be represented by any person he wishes. The President's presence is not required for the proceedings.

The trial may be held on the Senate floor or in a Senate Committee, which would report all matters to the Senate floor.

The trial is held, witnesses are examined and cross-examined, all questions from Senators are submitted in writing.

After the evidence and arguments are heard, the Senate deliberates in private and finally holds a public vote on whether to convict or acquit the President. A 2/3 majority is necessary for a conviction.

Thousands Protest Iraq War

Thousands of people gathered in Washington D.C. this week for an organized protest against President Bush's plan to send more soldiers to Iraq. Groups of people spanning all ethnic, age and social groups all made their voices heard as the Senate was discussing the proposal to send more soldiers overseas.

Some of the protesters were seasoned veterans of the Vietnam War era, but many were raw recruits to the anti-war effort. They all shared one thing in common, they do not want an escalation or increase of soldiers in Iraq.

Related Article: Washington Post

Not with 20,000, not with 100,000.

The idea that an increase in numbers will solve this Iraqi mess fails all tests of logic. An insurgency cannot be broken, it is tempered like steel and is part of the mindset of the people in the region. They see a foreign power come in and remove their government, they see thousands of people die, their electricity doesn't work, their homes are rubble, no water and lack of food; they look at this situation and blame it on the most obvious and immediate group, the occupying power. Regardless of our original intentions, we have severely screwed up the country of Iraq, our cowboy attitude and lack of foresight has left the Iraqi people worse off that they were half a decade ago. Yet our President, our leader thinks he can solve this by sending in more people with machine guns? Sure, maybe in a John Wayne move, but this is the real world and regional politics and mindsets do not change on a whim. They did not greet us as liberators at the start of the war, they will not welcome another surge.