AN OPEN LETTER TO CPAC SPONSORS AND ORGANIZERS REGARDING ANN COULTER  —  Conservatism treats humans as they are, as moral creatures possessing rational minds and capable of discerning right from wrong.  There comes a time when we must speak out in the defense of the conservative movement, and make a stand for political civility.

'It Is Just Not Walter Reed'  —  Ray Oliva went into the spare bedroom in his home in Kelseyville, Calif., to wrestle with his feelings.  He didn't know a single soldier at Walter Reed, but he felt he knew them all.  He worried about the wounded who were entering the world of military health care, which he knew all too well.

Clinton and Obama Unite in Pleas to Blacks  —  Evoking the passions and rivalries of the civil rights era, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton made deeply personal appeals to voters in the sanctuaries of black churches here on Sunday, and then joined former President Bill Clinton …

Backup Strategy Missing For Iraq  —  Outside Experts, Not White House, Discuss Options  —  During a White House meeting last week, a group of governors asked President Bush and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about their backup plan for Iraq.

Basra Raid Finds Dozens Detained by Iraq Spy Unit  —  Iraqi special forces and British troops stormed the offices of an Iraqi government intelligence agency in the southern city of Basra on Sunday, and British officials said they discovered about 30 prisoners, some showing signs of torture.

Two Questions  —  Good morning firepups.  —  Jane and I both had very relaxing weekends with the poodles and the MilleniaLab, respectively.  Now that I'm all rested, I'm confident we're going to get a verdict this week (though Christy's making rumblings about an Allen Charge, as are some of the journalists).

CPAC embraces Steele, Gingrich  —  Michael S. Steele and Newt Gingrich were the biggest stars according to activists who attended the three-day Conservative Political Action Conference.  —  Former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani pulled off CPAC's biggest coup, former Virginia …

My dad the dud,  —  Rudy's son says  —  But thinks he could still be 'great Prez'  —  Rudy Giuliani's son seems to think his dad would make a better President than he did a father.  —  "I got my values from my mother," 21-year-old Andrew Giuliani told ABC in an interview quoted on …

Edwards Sends Video to 70,000 Iowans  —  John Edwards is mailing DVDs to more than 70,000 Iowa households this week, an aide said, introducing the audience of likely caucus-goers to his plan for universal health care with a combination of passion, wonkiness, and implicit comparison with his rivals.

Terrorists Take Recruitment Efforts Online  —  Scott Pelley On The Use Of The Internet To Recruit Jihadists  —  (CBS) Recently the Bush administration acknowledged that al Qaeda is reorganized and gaining strength.  As correspondent Scott Pelley reports, that's been possible …