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 …

Walter Reed medical chief relieved of command  —  General's dismissal follows reports on poor treatment of wounded soldiers  —  U.S. Army Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman speaks to a crowd during a NASCAR visit at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington in September 2006.

The Senate's Forgotten Iraq Choice  —  Providence, R.I.  —  AS the presidential primary campaigns begin in earnest, the Iraq war is overshadowing all other issues, as it did during the midterm elections.  Presidential candidates who were in the Senate in October 2002 are particularly under the microscope …

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.

Mars Melt Hints at Solar, Not Human, Cause for Warming, Scientist Says  —  Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet's recent climate changes have a natural—and not a human-induced—cause, according to one scientist's controversial theory.

Romney Focuses on Conservative Straw Poll  —  The straw poll at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference beginning here Thursday has never played a pivotal role in a Republican presidential primary.  But the Mitt Romney campaign nonetheless is paying for three vans …

Historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. Dies at 89  —  Kennedy Confidant, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Dies of Heart Attack in New York  —  Historian and intellectual icon Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., a Kennedy confidant and liberal standard-bearer who was a fixture in Washington political life for decades …

NBC May Oust Evening News Executive  —  NBC's dominance in television's evening news race is undergoing its most serious challenge in a decade as "World News" on ABC scored its second ratings victory in the last three weeks.  The figures highlight the slow but steady ascent …

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.

Chalabi Back in the Political Limelight  —  Dignitaries gathered last month for a gesture of reconciliation — reopening a Sunni mosque in Shiite Sadr City.  As the cameras panned the robes and turbans, there stood Ahmad Chalabi, elegantly attired in an expensive Western suit.

Democrats View Hillary Clinton as Most Electable Democratic Candidate  —  Fewer than half think Gore will have a good chance to win  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A recent Gallup Panel survey shows that Democrats think Hillary Clinton has the best chance of being elected president among …

"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.