A Brief History of the Internets

If you can read this, you're a direct beneficiary of the Internets, which were invented in gradual steps by prominent politicians during election years.

Here is a brief history of the medium, (updated yesterday!)…

1977-1993: Al Gore, as a member of Congress and later the Senate, invents the internet, as described in an interview with Wolf Blitzer…

"During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet."

June 28, 2006: The mystery of the internet's inner workings is revealed by Alaska Senator Ted Stevens, who at the time was the Senator with the largest regulatory power over the medium…

"The Internet is not something that you just dump something on. It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes. And if you don't understand, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and it's going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material, enormous amounts of material."

As we reported yesterday, John McCain's policy advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin reveals that the BlackBerry, a handheld device used to access the internet, was invented by none other than his boss, John McCain…

"He did this," said Holtz-Eakin, raising a BlackBerry, that ubiquitous hand-held wireless e-mailer. "Telecommunications in the United States, the premiere innovation in the past 15 years, comes right through the Commerce Committee. So you're looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create."

Of these three pioneers, the most impressive is probably McCain, since he helped pioneer a field he admits knowing nothing about.

To draw an equivalent, try to imagine Dennis Kucinich developing tactical long-range missiles. Or Mitt Romney producing hip hop records.

Or John McCain running the economy.

Tags: Al Gore, Alaska, Dennis Kucinich, Economy, John McCain, Mitt Romney, Science & Technology, Ted Stevens

Catching Up With A Loser: Dennis Kucinich

Join former United States Senate Pages Dylan and Ethan Ris as they bring you the dish on not just the presidential race but all the exciting triumphs and disgraces inside, outside, and below the Beltway!

Catching Up With A Loser! If the Pages have learned one thing in Washington, it's that politics can be a lot like high school. Take, for instance, the 2008 Democratic presidential primary. You had your major jocks — Barack Obama (basketball team), Bill Richardson (baseball team), John Edwards (synchronized swimming). And then you had your nerds — Hillary Clinton (student government), Chris Dodd (Glee Club), Tom Vilsack (tech theater).

But no one was a bigger nerd than this week's Presidential Loser: Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)! The Congressman from Cleveland was the president of the A/V Club and the Latin Society rolled up into one — and the bullies on the campaign trail never let him forget it. Kucinich was picked on mercilessly for his uber-dork attributes, including:

* Diminutive height.

* Adamant veganism.

* Destruction of Cleveland as Boy Mayor in the 1970's.

It also did not help that Kucinich (though 61 years old) had still not hit puberty, and that his most prominent endorsement was from a J.R.R. Tolkien character. Still he pressed on, and with good reason. After all, his 2004 presidential run garnered him 67 delegates and a foxy new wife 31 years his junior!

But like so many other high schoolers, Kucinich hit the sophomore slump in his second run for the White House. Having ceded the "liberal populist" vote to John Edwards Version 2.0 and the "hilarious prank vote" to newcomer Mike Gravel, the Ohio Congressman had to drop out of the race on January 24, 2008. Kucinich is now back on the job in Washington, occupied with impeaching George W. Bush and protecting outer space for future generations of Star Wars collectibles!

Tags: Catching Up With a Loser, Congressional Confidential, Dennis Kucinich

George Bush and Dick Cheney Come Nanosteps Closer to Impeachment Today

In what will now surely be a grand tradition of every American president fending off attacks of impeachment late in his or her second term, Rep. Dennis Kucinich is having his say today in a hearing for the House Judiciary Committee.

And it's drawing quite a crowd, hungry to see this moment in American infamy…

A boisterous crowd has already gathered for today's hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on the case for impeaching Presidnent Bush and Vice President Cheney.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) has been leading the charge on the issue, and although Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) have said there will be no formal impeachment hearings, they've given Kucinich and his allies a session today to make the case.

There are at least 100 people on line to attend the hearing, and the committee has announced that there will be two "overflow" rooms to accomodate everyone who wants to watch the proceedings.

Phenomenal! It's exactly the circus everybody was hoping it would be.

I can't imagine a better political move for the Democrats than to enter into a petty and useless endeavor like this with only half-a-year left in Bush's second term.

That's why we elected 'em!

If you'd like to see the hooplah for yourself, you can watch it here or listen here.

(links via Daily Kos)

Tags: Dennis Kucinich, Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, House of Representatives, Impeachment

Fellow Ex-Candidates Jump on Hillary Clinton's T-Shirt Bandwagon

Hillary Clinton needs your help. See, she spent a lot of money recently, and she's trying to recoup a little. We've all been there, right?

So she's selling these t-shirts. It's an inspiring message. But it turns out she's not the only candidate looking for a little reimbursement — other ex-candidates are hitting the t-shirt trail as well:

Mitt Romney:

Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden, Dennis Kucinich and Duncan Hunter:

Mike Gravel:

Mike Huckabee:

Rudy Giuliani:

Ron Paul:

Tags: Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd, Dennis Kucinich, Duncan Hunter, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Mike Gravel, Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul, Rudy Giuliani

Dennis Kucinich Thinks You're Just Impeachy Keen

Rep. Dennis Kucinich wants to thank you for allowing him to follow through with his divisive and in-all-likelihood fruitless impeachment resolution, which will be heard in Congress this Friday…

Tags: Dennis Kucinich, George W. Bush, House of Representatives, Impeachment, Iraq