THE WI-FI HERE works in the lobby, too. I like that a lot. Now I’m off to a panel on Randy Barnett’s new book, The Presumption of Liberty.

UPDATE: The conference room is freezing — but the wi-fi here works! Randy summarized his book rather nicely (follow the link above for a precis). Now Sandy Levinson is commenting: “Raoul Berger would be very unhappy with this book.” He argues that Randy’s approach, of treating all Constitutional liberty interests as “fundamental,” would perhaps over-empower the judiciary. Other commentary: The book is “very, very courteous in tone” and “at the other end of the perspective from Robert Bork’s books.” He fears, however that the “absence of table-pounding” may hurt sales, and cause the book to get less attention than it deserves. And what about precedent? “Everybody becomes Hart and Sacks-like before the Senate Judiciary Committee.”

Keith Whittington: “Sandy tempts me to pound the table.” (Later: “Barnett’s book attempts to marry Robert Bork and Richard Epstein. . . which used to be against the law.” Photoshop fun for con-law geeks!)

I’m finding it hard to blog and pay attention at the same time. Back later, if I get free.

EUGENE VOLOKH ISN’T HERE WITH ME at the AALS conference, though I had dinner with several of his co-bloggers last night. But he does have a piece in NRO on conservative myths about the First Amendment that’s well worth your time.

PROFESSOR BAINBRIDGE LOOKS AT claims that Howard Dean has an insider trading problem.

UPDATE: Michael McMenamin offers sympathy for Martha Stewart.

THIS WEEK’S CARNIVAL OF THE CAPITALISTS is up over at Misty’s place. It’s a collection of business and economics related blog posts from all over the blogosphere. Check it out.

RICH GALEN has another report from Iraq posted, along with the promised Pattonesque photo of Galen. This should frighten many Baathist holdouts into surrendering all by itself.

One of my spies in Baghdad emails, “The guy is a scream…sorta like being in on the filming of National Lampoon’s Baghdad Vacation.” They obviously like him a lot there, which is no surprise. Somebody give him a video camera — I’ll host the video if necessary.

ARAB STOCK MARKETS ARE WAY UP, leading Tyler Cowen to observe:

I have been in many ways skeptical of the postwar Iraq policies of the Bush administration. But in light of this information it is more difficult to argue that we are destabilizing the entire Middle East, at least relative to previous expectations of investors.

One of the few advantages in dealing with the Arab world is that the baseline is comfortably low.

UPDATE: More on Arab stock markets here and here.

ANOTHER ADDICT BLOGGER RETURNS TO THE FOLD: Lefty blogger William Burton is blogging again. Lots of interesting stuff (he predicts a Dean/Clark ticket — I’m predicting Dean/Edwards, but Clark’s statement that he won’t take a VP slot suggests that Burton may be right, since that sort of statement is just part of the dance . . . .) but if you haven’t read his blog before, don’t miss his message to the world post from last year.