In Newly Usual Way, McCain Says He'll Run  —  Senator John McCain of Arizona took the platform of a late-night talk show Wednesday and said he would formally announce his campaign for the presidency in early April.  His remarks erased entirely whatever doubt could have existed about his ambitions for the Republican nomination.

U.S. Concedes Uncertainty on North Korean Uranium Effort  —  Last October, the North Koreans tested their first nuclear device, the fruition of decades of work to make a weapon out of plutonium.  —  For nearly five years, though, the Bush administration, based on intelligence estimates …

Cheney's contempt for American public opinion  —  Since the smashing repudiation his party suffered at the hands of the American voter in the 2006 midterm elections, Dick Cheney's behavior has become palpably more secretive, combative, and scornful.  The embittered interview he gave …

Arthur Schlesinger, Historian of Power, Dies at 89  —  Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., the historian whose more than 20 books shaped discussions for two generations about America's past, and who himself was a provocative, unabashedly liberal partisan, most notably in serving in the Kennedy White House, died last night in Manhattan.

Hospital Officials Knew of Neglect  —  Complaints About Walter Reed Were Voiced for Years  —  Top officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, including the Army's surgeon general, have heard complaints about outpatient neglect from family members, veterans groups and members of Congress for more than three years.

Looking past the candidates  —  Conservatives shift focus to Congress  —  WASHINGTON — Conservative activists are shifting their 2008 focus to recapturing the House and Senate, hoping that GOP control of at least one chamber of Congress would thwart liberal policies that could come either …

"Seven words you can never say on television"... but which are said on the Internet.  A lot.  —  Talk about potty-mouths.  —  The Net's not always a kid-friendly place; there is plenty of foul language out there.  And of course, the blogosphere is no different.

A tale of two markets … Categories: … MANY readers profess puzzlement as to how carbon offsets could fail to reduce one's carbon footprint.  The answer is that they probably do reduce one's carbon footprint, but by nowhere near the one-for-one ration that seems to be implied by the extraordinarily low price of carbon offsets.

NEWT RIPS 'NASTY' HILL  —  DROPS NICE-GUY APPROACH TO 'RUTHLESS' RIVAL  —  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich yesterday called Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton "a nasty woman" who runs an "endlessly ruthless" campaign machine.  —  The conservative Republican made the surprising comments …

Giuliani-Appointed Judges Tend to Lean to the Left  —  When Rudy Giuliani faces Republicans concerned about his support of gay rights and legal abortion, he reassures them that he is a conservative on the decisions that matter most.  —  "I would want judges who are strict constructionists because I am …

House GOP Pushes Floor Vote For Rep. Jefferson Appointment  —  House Republicans plan to force a floor vote on the appointment of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), who is the subject of a federal bribery investigation, to a seat on the Homeland Security Committee.

Walter Reuther's Ghost  —  Democrats vote to bar secret union ballots.  —  The House of Representatives has scheduled a vote as early as today on a bill that strips 140 million U.S. workers of the right to decide in private whether to unionize.  Naturally, it's called the Employee Free Choice Act.

Military chiefs give US six months to win Iraq war  —  An elite team of officers advising US commander General David Petraeus in Baghdad has concluded the US has six months to win the war in Iraq - or face a Vietnam-style collapse in political and public support that could force the military into a hasty retreat.

'Instant Book' Bets on Obama Appeal  —  Publisher Moves  —  Fast to Tap Interest  —  While It's Still Hot  —  Last Christmas, J.P. Leventhal, publisher of the small independent press Black Dog & Leventhal, was invited to the Barnes & Noble Inc. holiday party at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Manhattan's Time Warner Center.