JOHN EDWARDS BREAKS SILENCE ON COULTER'S 'FAGGOT' BARB  —  John Edwards responded Sunday to remarks by conservative commentator Ann Coulter in which she referred to the former North Carolina senator and current Democratic presidential candidate as a "faggot."

Congress Hears of Neglect in Veterans' Care  —  Reports of bureaucratic entanglement and indifference on the part of the military's medical care system, rather than the condition of buildings in the Walter Reed Medical Center, dominated a Congressional hearing today on how wounded veterans are treated.

Rep. Wilson Says She Contacted Prosecutor  —  Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) acknowledged today that she contacted a federal prosecutor to complain about the pace of his public corruption investigations, as the Senate Ethics Committee signaled that it had opened a preliminary inquiry …

Bush Job Approval at 30%  —  Zogby telephone poll shows President falls back to all-time low level rating after hovering at 32% in January and February  —  President Bush's job approval rating has fallen to 30%, once again hitting the all-time low-water mark of his presidency as Americans continue …

Kidnapped or Defected?  Top Iranian General Disappears  —  Hoda Osman and Christopher Isham Report:  —  The mysterious disappearance of an Iranian general in Turkey in early February has led to speculation he either was kidnapped or defected.  —  Iran has reportedly asked Interpol to investigate the general's disappearance.

For Rep. Sanchez, a hot-tomato label means a hot potato  —  Pacing next to the desk and U.S. flag in her district office in Garden Grove, the paradox that is Rep. Loretta Sanchez was on full display.  —  The congresswoman ticked off a meaty legislative to-do list: immigration reform …

Obama's Selma speech.  Text as delivered.  —  SELMA, ALA.—From the pulpit of the historic Brown Chapel A.M.E. church, White House hopeful Barack Obama talks about the job of the "Joshua generation" and his own claim to a place in the civil rights movement.  —  " So don't tell me I don't have a claim on Selma, Alabama.

CIA Rushing Resources to Bin Laden Hunt  —  Brian Ross Reports:  —  Armed with fresh intelligence, the CIA is moving additional man power and equipment into Pakistan in the effort to find Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al Zawahri, U.S. officials tell ABC News.

A WARMING WORLD  —  China about to pass U.S. as world's top generator of greenhouse gases  —  Far more than previously acknowledged, the battle against global warming will be won or lost in China, even more so than in the West, new data show.  —  A report released last week …

Diebold Weighs Strategy for Voting Unit … CLEVELAND (AP) — Diebold Inc. saw great potential in the modernization of elections equipment.  Now, analysts say, executives may be angling for ways to dump its e-voting subsidiary that's widely seen as tarnishing the company's reputation.

Coulter: Edwards Slur Was A "Schoolyard Taunt"  —  In her first television appearance since the CPAC slur (she bailed on Paula Zahn tonight), Coulter ventures into friendly territory to "explain" herself.  Colmes gets first crack and, of course, she dances around, downplaying it as just another example …

Giuliani: Give Me Privacy  —  Standing with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today at an anti-gang press conference in Monterey Park, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani called for privacy in his relationship with his son.  Andrew Giuliani (pictured with his father and sister, Caroline) …

Action Item: Senator Reid, Don't Legitimize Fox News  —  (From the diaries.  Among other things, it's great seeing grassroots Nevada Democrats speaking out against their "leadership's" brain-dead actions — kos.)  —  Over the past week and a half, many of us have been engaged …