What are the amendments anyway?

As I watched the increasing drama of the debt ceiling unfold over the weekend, several commentators discussed the possibility of Obama being able to raise the limit regardless of congress due to the 14th amendment.  Interesting article on this yesterday in the NY times.

We hear commentators and politicians quoting the constitution and amendments constantly as they battle for some political point and I realized I’d never taken the time to read or understand any of it — not a quick task as I discovered this weekend, but a geekily interesting one.  Take a look at the Wikipedia article for a quick rundown on the list.  I propose a 28th amendment where politicians have to read and understand them before they are allowed to run for office.