I've been in Iowa for a week, doing whatever it takes to win Iowa and the Democratic Nomination for Senator Joe Biden. It may seem strange to hear a fellow Kossack say that, but this isn't an apologetic diary, or a "My candidate is the only ..." diary. I believe in Joe.

I'm beyond pedantic enucleations of back-door bureaucratic negotiations. I'm way beyond Hillary bashing. I'm not even asking for money. Instead, I'm going to tell you a story that in some ways goes back to a young college student in his small town's only diner, and in other ways goes back to a young man growing up in Delaware. Hopefully, you will indulge me as I go back in to my past, our past, and Joe Biden's past with some of my recollections and a few quotes that help tell the story. To those enamored with brevity, I apologize for the commodious topics covered in this diary. I think it's a rewarding read, but it's not for the faint of heart. Perhaps it will tell you more about a great Democratic Senator and a little about ourselves. And so it begins ...

Crossposted from Daily Kos.

After twists and turns, flirtations and family considerations, drafts and dodgers, North Carolina's "telephone primary" is over. The waters have been tested, everyone's made up their mind, and we have our candidate for defeating Dole in 2008: Jim Neal.

I'm a guy who has lived, worked and raised a family in the real world. I understand the issues--very serious issues--which confront our state and our republic. I can not do this alone folks. I'm not running out of personal ambition or political aspiration. I'm running because I believe that government can, not in all but many instances, lead the nation in making positive change which touch all of us. Liddy Dole is no leader, and she doesn't and hasn't lived in the real world for the 40-odd years of her adult life spent inside the Beltway.

I'm a fighter. I am committed and will survive the mudslinging which comes in an election year when the GOP is vulnerable, scared, without substance and rudderless. I ain't afraid of the briar patch, and I am running this race to win.

I'll start with a bang from Al's April 11 interview on Larry King:

[Norm Coleman] had the job during this war of being the chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Remember Truman was that during World War II. Truman did 458 hearings on the contracting during World War II. He said war profiteering is treason and I believe it is. And Norm Coleman did zero hearings on it.

Anyone who says that Al Franken doesn't know the issues, or doesn't speak the truth, needs to read that again. More on Norm:

Norm Coleman was a cheerleader for this president during this war. And whenever anyone was critical of the war, Coleman would lash out at them. Jack Murtha in May of 2004 said we need to send more troops and we need to armor them better. And Norm Coleman said of Murtha, who won a silver star in Vietnam, he said he's hurting the morale of the troops and emboldening the enemy by saying that. And Jack Murtha was right. And we lost this war, really, I believe, in the first year of this war.

As always, see it first at BlueNC. -Sam

My friend Bill Jackson has been pretty much everything a man can be in politics - professor, blogger, Senate staffer, White House staffer, candidate, and most recently, the treasurer of my County Commission Campaign. He's almost always been right on Iraq, from when we opposed the escalation to war together in 2003 to the wrong turns it would take after "Mission Accomplished." And we're both worried about a possible veto and the apparent lack of resolve on the part of some of our presidential candidates.

And we've (mostly) agreed on impeachment; In Bill's words:

"Since I do not favor the overthrow of our constitutional system of government ... and since the impeachment of Bush is not about to happen with Cheney as Veep--I am left with thinking about how to nudge the ball downfield in a 51-49 Senate and a 233-202 House by squeezing the White House on every war vote opportunity. Of course, there can be legitimate differences about how best to do this."

That got us thinking - is there a way to set a mouse rat trap for Bush by engineering impeachment? Is there a way to stop the war in the face of a veto should current options fail? Join me below the fold ...