McCain rejects CPAC invite  —  Sen. John McCain is the only major Republican presidential candidate who will not address the nation's premier gathering of conservatives this year.  —  Sponsors of the Conservative Political Action Conference, which begins today in Washington and brings together thousands …

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.

Rebuke Bush 2pm  —  JOIN THE KATRINA SURVIVORS' REBUKE OF PRESIDENT BUSH  —  New Orleans Needs Federal Aid, Not Presidential Photo-Ops.  —  Mr. President: Katrina Survivors Do Not Welcome You, We Rebuke You!  —  We live in a devastated city and you are a big part of the reason why it sill sits in ruins.

"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.

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.

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 …

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.

The Myth of the Middle  —  The story of 2006 was that regular Americans were sick of partisan divisions in Washington.  The vast and consensus-hungry middle asserted itself in November, the narrative went, finally ordering the parties and their childish politicians to stop fighting and to work together.

Test Tube Aliens: Gadget of the Week  —  Finally, a toy that invites children to explore the nature of cruelty.  In fact, Electronic Test Tube Aliens ($15) are either the most cynical and ill-conceived toys on the market, or the world's first truly existential toy.

For the Super-Rich, Too Much Is Never Enough  —  For voyeurs of billionaires, a brief period from mid-February to mid-March serves up two of the juiciest glimpses they will get all year.  In February, the Slate 60 list of the year's biggest philanthropic gifts comes out …

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.