It's starting today and I'm ready. Bloggers and readers tell us who your picks are. I'm a big UCLA fan and I know John at Balloon Juice is rooting for West Virginia. 32 teams play today. My upset pick is San Diego State over Indiana tonight. There could be a few more- maybe Seton Hall over Wichita State, but that's what makes March Madness the best. I joined the Syracuse bandwagon as well with their great conference victory which pushed thme up to a # 5 seed. Here's today's schedule... How many #12 seeds and lower will win their first game?

I always love to link to this piece about "Celestial Drops," when I talk about Katherine Harris.
"Katherine Harris, then Florida's secretary of state-and now a member of the U.S. House of Representatives-ordered a study in which, according to an article by Jim Stratton in the Orlando Sentinel, "researchers worked with a rabbi and a cardiologist to test ‘Celestial Drops,' promoted as a canker inhibitor because of its ‘improved fractal design,' ‘infinite levels of order,' and ‘high energy and low entropy.'" The study determined that the product tested was, basically, water that had apparently been blessed according to the principles of Kabbalic mysticism, "chang[ing] its molecular structure and imbu[ing] it with supernatural healing powers."

Now with her campaign in trouble, she's pulling out all the stops. So much for separation between Church and State.

The Carpetbagger Report:

"I suppose the obvious concern would be Harris' shameless pandering to the GOP's theocratic wing, but I have a slightly different question: Why isn't Harris' attendance at this conference a scandal in and of itself? The host of the event, Coral Ridge's Rev. D. James Kennedy, is a fairly important figure in religious right circles. He's also someone who's offered gems such as...read on"

Randi was on Paula Zahn with guest host Hedi Collins and debated CNN's resident wingnut Bay Buchanan over the job Bush is job.

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Transcript

COLLINS: Randi, the president admitted, for the first time, that American troops will be in Iraq until at least 2009. Is he really leaving it up to the next president to get this job done?

RHODES: He's leaving a mess for everybody.

He's leaving a mess for the middle class. He's leaving a mess for the soldiers. He's billing them for their body armor when they come home. He hasn't changed the strategy. While he was talking in this surprise news conference today, this -- these matinee appearances that the president gives, which, by the way, are for us. It's for news -- us in the news. It's for us in the media to watch him and then comment on him at night, when people are likely to be watching your show.

Nobody sees these matinee things, except for Bay and me and you, Heidi. And...

"House Republicans are taking a mulligan on the first ballot for Majority Leader. The first count showed more votes cast than Republicans present at the Conference meeting. Stay with RollCall.com for updates."

Obama takes a shot at Russert

Barack must read blogs. Remeber this question Russert asked Barack on MTP? (hat tip TP)

“What, did Harry Belafonte say something?”-Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), asked at a press conference yesterday...

Frist and Hastert rig drug bill: What a team

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert engineered a backroom legislative maneuver to protect pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits, say witnesses to the pre-Christmas power play.

The language was tucked into a Defense Department appropriations bill at the last minute without the approval of members of a House-Senate conference committee, say several witnesses, including a top Republican staff member...read on

Wonder why Cheney chose FOX to break his silence? Dick took the cowardly way out of course-as Jack gets to tells us why.

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commenter Paul: "Jack said it was like Bonnie interviewing Clyde-And that it wasn't exactly a Profile in Courage for Cheney to go to the "F" word network.

Media Matters has the transcript:

BLITZER: First of all, Jack, what did you make of Dick Cheney's interview today?

CAFFERTY: Well, I obviously didn't see it 'cause it hasn't been released in its entirety yet, but I -- I would guess it didn't exactly represent a profile in courage for the vice president to wander over there to the F-word network for a sit down with Brit Hume. I mean, that's a little like Bonnie interviewing Clyde, ain't it? I mean, where was the news conference? Where was the -- where was the access to all of the members of the media? I don't know. You know? Whatever.

BLITZER: You still think he needs to do a full-scale news conference in front of all of the cameras, all of the reporters, and ask whatever they want?

CAFFERTY: That's never going to happen. But, I mean, running over there to the Fox network to -- I mean that's -- talk about seeking a safe haven. He's not going to get any high, hard ones from anybody at the F-word network. I think we know that.

I have the eleven page document "posted now" of the hearing transcript from the February 3, 2006, Libby scheduling conference and hearing.

ReddHedd explains what it all means.

FDL:

"Just got off a conference call with Ted Kennedy and others, and we got a better idea where the Dems are on all of this. Kennedy says the press have been able to convince people that the Dems are obstructionist; they have been successful in spreading the perception that Daschle was an obstructionist, and look what happened to him. This is something the Democrats have seemed to internalize. They believe that voting their consience on this matter is "obstructionist," and they think they will pay a fiersome price back home if they are perceived thusly, so PLEASE let them know that just the opposite is true...read on

Update:(More info on the filibuster at Democrats.com)

Georgia10 says: Now let's get to work:

"This is a follow-up to Armando's great posts this morning on the filibuster. Improbable? Yeah. Impossible? Never. Take 15 minutes out of your weekend for democracy's sake. Track the updates on the cloture count here. Here is the latest update:...read on

Harry Reid's Press Conference

Harry Reid responded to questions about the nature of his decision to shut down the Senate. He was obviously upset.

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He explained that if he notified Bill Frist, then Frist could have shut down his attempt to have the many questions answered. More later....