Hello and welcome to this late political gab fest for the 16th of March, Wednesday.

Not a normal day, but we're here with you.

I'm John Dickerson and Washington.

David Plotz is in New York.

Emily Bazelon is in New Haven.

We haven't had a show where we've all been the three of us in three different places for

quite a while, have we?

Sadly, I think the answer to that is no, but I always, this makes me feel guilty.

Why does it make you feel guilty? Just seems like... Because if I lived in Washington like a normal

journalist, then we would all be together every week. Oh, well, okay.

Sorry to feel guilty about that.

So our topics today will be the disaster in Japan and the nuclear disaster that continues after the earthquake and tsunami.

Then we'll talk about the situation with Private Manning, the alleged leaker to wLeaks of sensitive U.S. documents, and his

treatment and the firing of PJ Crowley, the spokesman for the State Department, who spoke out

about his treatment and then resigned, but essentially it was fired. And then the third topic

we will address is the 2012 Republican presidential campaign with a special personal note by David Plotz at the top.

And then we'll have...

I will be announcing my exploratory committee to explore a committee whether to explore.

Oh, that's become a Republican.

You know, remind me when we get to that, when we to that to tell, to explain the Newt King, which was done what you've just said, which is have a committee to explore, has announced his intention to form an intention to form an intention.

But let's start first in Japan.

As everybody, no doubt, knows by now, there was a horrible

...