Posting about Con Law Prof. Sanford Levinson's ruminations on writing a better Constitution, which entail some very serious thinking on the democratic processes enshrined in our Founding document, Ezra Klein, an always interesting and almost always smart writer, misses the point imo. Ezra writes:

I could totally write a better constitution. Know why? I have 250 more years of historical knowledge and contemporary context with which to ensure it's applicable to modern times. For instance: I could write a way clearer 2nd amendment, and I'd limit judicial terms to 12 years, and I'd make the electoral college go bye-bye.

But these "improvements" miss the point of Levinson's work and, frankly miss the point of the Constitution. I'll explain why I think so on the other side.

It was bad enough when the $100 hamburger appeared, but a $1,000 pizza? Could it be any better than the $12 pepperoni, goat cheese and banana pepper pizza at Greenbush? Or, for that matter, your local favorite?

Negligent homicide?

A coroner conducting an inquest into a U.S. friendly fire attack that killed a British soldier during the Iraq war said Friday that it was unlawful and criminal.

Oxfordshire Assistant Deputy Coroner Andrew Walker also criticized the U.S. military for failing to cooperate with his investigation into the incident.

"I believe that the full facts have not yet come to light," said Walker, who has complained that he did not get all the evidence he needed about the U.S. A-10 "Tank-buster" plane that killed Lance Cpl. Matty Hull, 25, in an attack on his armored vehicle convoy.

Sean Bell was at his bachelor party the night before his wedding. As he was leaving, he was killed by a blaze of 50 police bullets.

The grand jury has indicted three of the five cops who fired at him. No one knows what charges they have been indicted on since the Indictments will be sealed until Monday. Photos of the five cops are here.

The grand jury has been considering murder, manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide. It deliberated on the charges for three days. More than 60 witnesses testified in the inquiry.

Bell's family maintains the cops fired without warning. The Rev. Al Sharpton had this to say:

"The only way you make sure it doesn't happen again is you stop it, and you punish it and you send a signal that we live in a society where laws have to be respected," he said. "So there is no joy, no vengeance, no party here."

Others have characterized the killing as a case of contagion-shooting.

Mahablog patronizes me:

At Talk Left, Big Tent Democrat complains that Scott Lilly endorsed “doing nothing.” No, dear; he’s asking people who presume to be activists to stop being stupid about it.

That's very nice dear, but how about explaining why it is stupid. Because Harold Meyerson, Walter Dellinger, Scott Lilly, Matt Stoller and you say so is not an argument. Remember the arguments from experts on Iraq and the politics of Iraq? I do my own thinking thank you very much. Present YOUR argument. And then we can discuss it. I have presented mine. Would be nice if you addressed it.

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow today backtracked off the Harriet Miers story. He says people's memories are now hazy.

"It has been described as her idea but ... I don't want to try to vouch for origination," said White House press secretary Tony Snow, who previously had asserted Miers was the person who came up with the idea. "At this juncture, people have hazy memories."

Sung to the tune of Jimi Hendrix.

Purple haze all in my brain
Lately things just dont seem the same
Actin funny, but I dont know why
scuse me while I kiss the sky

I'll be discussing the firings on CNN's Reliable Sources Sunday morning at 10:00 am ET.

Update: New York Times on Snow's statement.

Think Progress has the transcript and video of Valerie Plame's statement to the House Committee investigating the leak of her identity this morning. (Full hearing video is here.)

I’ve served the United States loyally and to the best of my ability as a covert operations officer for the Central Intelligence Agency. I worked on behalf of the national security of our country, on behalf of the people of the United States, until my name and true affiliation were exposed in the national media on July 14th, 2003, after a leak by an administration official.

Today I can tell this committee even more. In the run-up to the war with Iraq, I worked in the Counterproliferation Division of the CIA, still as a covert officer whose affiliation with the CIA was classified. I raced to discover solid intelligence for senior policymakers on Iraq’s presumed weapons of mass destruction program.

Simply outrageous:

Police arrested a 7-year-old boy, handcuffed him and took his mug shot and fingerprints on a charge of riding a motorized dirt bike on a sidewalk.

At the station, Gerard Mungo Jr. was handcuffed to a bench and interrogated before being released to his parents. "They scared me," Gerard told The Baltimore Examiner before breaking down in tears.

Mayor Sheila Dixon plans on "looking into the case."

I'm pretty much out of pocket today. So far today, Virginia is cruising over Albany, UNLV jumping out on G Tech, and 2 seed Memphis struggling with 15 N. Texas.

Give us your thoughts on the tourney so far. Most intriguing performance so far for me is Vandy's blowout win. I will watch the SEC closely today to see if there is a hidden strength in the SEC we might have missed.

CBS legal analyst and author of the Washington Post's Bench Conference blog makes the case today for replacing Attorney General Alberto Gonzales with Patrick Fitzgerald.

In my humble opinion, and recognizing that there may be a few other worthy candidates, there is only one person who perfectly currently fits the bill. He is a Republican and a Bush-appointee, but not a partisan or a crony or a hack like so many other current appointees. He has a sterling record of integrity and doggedness. He is obviously his own man and has shown a remarkable tendency during his career as a prosecutor for rankling partisans on both sides of the aisle. He is beholden to no one. His nomination to head the Justice Department by President Bush, and his ratification by the Congress, would send a clear message to the country that our government is willing to turn the page on the sordid recent history of the Office of Attorney General. His name? Patrick J. Fitzgerald.

Who better, Cohen asks, to restore integrity and non partisanship to the Justice Department?

Acknowledging it's risky to support medical marijuana in an election year in which he's running for President, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said yesterday, "So what if it's risky? It's the right thing to do."

Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, poised to sign a bill making New Mexico the 12th state to legalize medical marijuana, said Thursday he realizes his action could become an issue in the presidential race. "So what if it's risky? It's the right thing to do," said Richardson, one of the candidates in the crowded 2008 field. "What we're talking about is 160 people in deep pain. It only affects them." The legislation would create a program under which some patients — with a doctor's recommendation — could use marijuana provided by the state health department.

New Mexico lawmakers have approved the bill and Richardson will sign it into law within the next few weeks.

If you are by a computer this morning, don't miss the Valerie Plame hearing which will be webcast on C-Span as well as the Oversight Committee's website.

Chairman Henry A. Waxman announced a hearing on whether White House officials followed appropriate procedures for safeguarding the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson. At the hearing, the Committee will receive testimony from Ms. Wilson and other experts regarding the disclosure and internal White House security procedures for protecting her identity from disclosure and responding to the leak after it occurred. The hearing is scheduled for Friday, March 16.

The witnesses are:

* Ms. Valerie Plame Wilson, former employee, Central Intelligence Agency * Dr. James Knodell, Director, Office of Security, The White House
* Mr. Bill Leonard, Director, Information Security Oversight Office, National Archives and Records Administration
* Mr. Mark Zaid, Attorney
* Ms. Victoria Toensing, diGenova & Toensing, LLP

I'm looking forward to hearing Valerie Plame Wilson tell her side of the story.

Former CIA Analyst Larry Johnson posts how he thinks Valerie Plame Wilson should answer the questions.

[hat tip to Susan Hu of Daily Kos.}