First, a huge thanks to TChris who has kept this site running while I've been in Amsterdam. Tomorrow is my last day here and there is so much more to see.

The hotel has only wireless, and mine seems to go out every five minutes or so, requiring me to log in with user name and password over and over again and eating many posts, which has been quite frustrating. Ezra, Amanda and Lindsay haven't had this problem, so it must be my computer settings.

The best part of the trip has been the walking, probably five to ten miles a day. While there are trams that go everywhere, walking has let me take in so much more and get a better feel for the city. It's been very cold and gray every day, but we were forewarned and brought coats, gloves, hats and scarves, so it's not much of a problem.

The Rembrandts are really something to see. So are the Van Gogh paintings. The architecture is very intriguing and the city is well laid out. All in all, a great trip so far.

Here's an open thread to discuss whatever else is going on in the world.

by TChris

The TalkLeft writers are working or playing or hanging out in Amsterdam. Here's a place to chat about the week's events.

Ok, everyone, I'm out of here for a week. I'll be in Amsterdam with fellow bloggers Ezra, Amanda of Pandagon and Lindsay of Majikthise, courtesy of Holland.com, and the TL kid, courtesy of me.

Here's the disclosure statement on what the bloggers are getting and giving for the trip, via the arrangement between Holland.com and Blogads.

Of course I'll have my laptop and a camera, and will blog a little about the trip, and sporadically about some news, but not with my usual frequency.

There will be open threads up throughout the week (this is one), and TChris and Last Night in Little Rock will weigh in as their schedules permit. So check back often, they write great stuff.

It's a great day to show some appreciation for your favorite bloggers.

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It's too beautiful to stay in Denver today, so I'm headed to Vail. There's lots to read and talk about in the blogoshphere:

• Digby on Joe DiGenova (Mr. Victoria Toensing)'s "hissy fit" on Wolf's show yesterday while debating the terrific Richard Ben-Veniste. I can add from personal experience it is not an infrequent occurrence that he blows his stack, and it's very humorous to watch. Maybe Crooks and Liars will get the video up.

• Peter Daou on Scandal Fatigue. I thought I was the only wondering what was so important about the British guy from Boston being arrested for his wife and child's murder that required 24/7 coverage from the cable news networks.

• Raw Story and BradBlog (both with audio) on the She Pundit With Long Blond Hair's latest attack on Muslims. There's a reference to a comment by her about missing her opportunity to "kill" Bill Clinton, but I wonder whether she was referring to killing him or doing something else with him.

Coulter on killing Bill Clinton: (Responding to a question from a Catholic University student about her biggest moral or ethical dilemma) "There was one time I had a shot at Clinton. I thought 'Ann, that's not going to help your career.'"

• Arianna connecting Bush's LA attack speech with a new play about Big Brother.

While re-reading Lewis Libby's discovery motions has been a worthwhile exercise, I've got wiretap motions due today. There's lots going on to talk about, so I'll leave it to you.

On a related Libby note, guess who's speaking at the annual All That Jazz seminar for criminal defense lawyers in New Orleans at the end of April? William Jeffress, one of Libby's lead lawyers. His topic: "Perjury, False Statements and Obstruction- If We Can't Get You For a Crime, We'll Get You For the Coverup" (pdf). It's Saturday, April 29 at 10:30 am.

A wide open thread is overdue, so here it is. Some things I'm reading and watching:

• John Dickerson in Slate asking "Where's My Subpoena" in PlameGate. Reddhedd at Firedoglake provides analysis.

• Howard Kurtz in WAPO on the deficient cable news coverage of the Gonzales hearing.

• Jonah Peretti on the Huffpo Contagious Festival. Many of the entries are great and well worth checking out and voting on.

• The NORML video, Sam's Journey, in the ad on the right side of TalkLeft. I hope they enter it in the contagious festival.

Say hello to the Nation's new blog, The Notion:

Starting today, The Nation launches The Notion blog, which will feature light, off-the-cuff commentary, spontaneous reaction to breaking news, and unfiltered ruminations on debates of the day. Readers should expect lively debates, insightful critiques, crucial questions, bold new visions and the occasional sophomoric Bush joke. Notion contributors will interact and respond to each other, as well as readers who post comments.

It has an all-star lineup:

I have one more day at the Judge-Journalist workshop I'm attending in Reno and will be back to regular blogging tonight. If you're feeling like you have something to say, here's a thread for you.

I usually stay out of the fray between journalists and bloggers. But this one, picked by Nation Editor Katrina Vanden Heuval against the liberal blogosphere, and Ezra Klein in particular, I just can't pass up. I agree with Crooks and Liars and Jane.

If it was just Ms. Vanden Heuval's comments justifying the Democrats' choice of Virginia Governor Tim Kaine to give the SOTU response, even though I disagree with the pick, I'd probably demur. But she attacked my pal Ezra, and I don't like when my friends are attacked and she's just flat out wrong, or as Jane says, blind.

by TChris

Noting that bloggers on the left have lately been more vigorous in their pleas to elected Democrats to protect our country from Republican assaults, the Washington Post reports a "rift" between "liberal activists" and Democrats who want to appeal to a centrist electorate. The Post quotes Gov. Kaine: "You can get a lot done if you're not bitterly partisan."

Oh really? On the federal level, where bitterly partisan Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, what can Democrats accomplish by remaining sweet and nonpartisan?

Liberal bloggers are echoing a centrist view: we do not want our Supreme Court to undergo a dramatic change of direction. We want our Court to adhere to a traditional understanding of the Constitution, one that safeguards individual liberties while maintaining an appropriate balance of power among the branches of government. We expect Democrats in the Senate to share that same concern, and to exercise their power to protect the Court and the Constitution. Preserving Justice O'Connor's seat for a centrist jurist is the immediate duty of Senate Democrats.

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