Ah. Now I get it. They’re all high.

From the State Department website:

Secretary Powell: -- from Panama to Nicaragua, from Nicaragua to Honduras, and that's our air base in Honduras, Soto Cono.

So in a helicopter it's Tegucigalpa, then back out to the -- Tegucigalpa to Soto Cono, then Soto Cono to College Station last night, then I had to change all of my software and take out all of the Central American software and put in the Chinese software to give a speech this morning in Texas.

Question: So do you use sleeping tablets to organize yourself?

Secretary Powell: Yes. Well, I wouldn't call them that. They're a wonderful medication -- not medication. How would you call it? They're called ambien, which is very good. You don't use ambien? Everybody here uses ambien.

Question: I use it when I go on trip and long distance travel.

Secretary Powell: Yeah. I didn't need it this time because I was in the same time zone.

Question: I see.

Secretary Powell: It's when I go to your part of the world. I need to get my rest.

Side effects of Ambien can include the following:

daytime drowsiness, dizziness, headache, nausea, stomach upset, vomiting, diarrhea, lightheadedness, and dry mouth may occur. If any of these effects continue or become bothersome, inform your doctor. Notify your doctor if you develop any of these serious side effects while taking Ambien medication: chest pain, rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, skin rash, fever, behavior changes, mental confusion, abnormal thinking, depression. To avoid dizziness and lightheadedness when rising from a seated or lying position, get up slowly. Also avoid intake of alcoholic beverages which will aggravate these effects. Because Ambien medication causes drowsiness, use caution engaging in activities requiring alertness. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

I wonder if the president is hip to this. It might explain some things. His dad, of course, was into Halcion (triazolam), which is no longer on the market in many countries (you can still get it here) and which may have played a role in producing such memorable quotes as this:

"The guy over there at Pease - a woman actually - she said something about a country-western song about the train, a light at the end of the tunnel... I only hope it's not a train coming the other way. Well, I said to her, well, I'm a country music fan. I love it, always have. Doesn't fit the mold of some of the columnists, I might add, but nevertheless - of what they think I ought to fit in, but I love it. You should have been with me at the CMA awards at Nashville. But nevertheless, I said to them there's another one that the Nitty Ditty Nitty Gritty Great Bird - and it says if you want to see a rainbow you've got to stand a little rain. We've had a little rain. New Hampshire has had too much rain."

Xanax, the sedative that got Noelle Bush arrested, is in the same family of drugs. James Baker is rumored to have called the Halcion tablets “blue bombs.” Common side effects include:

... weakness or tiredness, dizziness, drowsiness, clumsiness, or unsteadiness; a "hangover" effect, headache, increased dreaming, loss of memory, nausea, vomiting, confusion, depression, lightheadedness or fainting spells, mood changes, excitability, aggressive behavior, movement difficulty, staggering or jerky movements, muscle cramps, and tremors.

The flu, eh?