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The Situation: Tuesday, March 14

Editor's Note: The Situation Report is a running log of dispatches, quotes, links and behind-the-scenes notes filed by the correspondents and producers of CNN's Washington Bureau. Watch "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer on CNN 4 p.m. ET to 6 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET to 8 p.m. ET weekdays.

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The trial for Zacarias Moussaoui will continue after a lawyer improperly shared information with witnesses.

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Posted 4:45 p.m. ET
From The Situation Online Producers

Today in the Situation Room:

Moussaoui Case E-Derailed: We take a look at the improper government e-mails (PDF)external link a federal attorney sent to witnesses set to testify in the sentencing trial of 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui.

iPod Hearing Loss?: Can iPods and other portable music devices cause damage to your ears? Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markeyexternal link has been asking the National Institutes of Health to investigate the matter. He posted the NIH response (PDF)external link today online.

IRS Phishing: As tax day approaches, don't get roped into the latest online tax scamsexternal link. If you receive fraudulent e-mails claiming to be from the IRS, report it to the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.external link

The Morning Grind

Posted: 9:50 a.m. ET
From Mark Preston, CNN Political Unit

Democratic majorities?

Democrats hold a commanding 16 point lead over Republicans when voters are asked "which party's candidate would you vote for in your Congressional District," providing further evidence that Democrats are within striking distance of taking back the Senate and House in November, a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll shows.

Democrats are benefiting from the lack of support for the Iraq War and eroding confidence in President Bush's ability to lead the country, which hit an all time low in this March 10-12 poll of 1001 adult Americans. Bush's approval rating is 36 percent, a two percentage point slip from two weeks ago, and six percentage point drop from early February. Bush's previous all time low approval rating in this poll registered at 37 percent in November 2005.

Former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Oklahoma) said the Democrats' 55 percent to 39 percent advantage over Republicans in the generic ballot is "not good" for his former colleagues, adding that Republicans seeking re-election should be concerned.

"You know, the President needs something good to happen in Iraq, or we need to do a much better job talking about the good things that's happening in Iraq," said Watts, a CNN political commentator.

For now, only 32 percent of Americans believe that Bush has a clear plan for Iraq, a seven point advantage over Democrats in this same category. But when asked "which party would do a better job dealing with Iraq," Americans chose Democrats 48 percent to 40 percent.

Perhaps most troubling for Republicans is that the poll shows Iraq will be on the minds of voters in November. Sixty one percent said it would be the "most important" or a "very important" when they cast their ballots in the midterm elections, 28 percent responded it would be "moderately important" and only 10 percent answered it is "not that important."

Democrats need to win six seats in the Senate and 15 seats in the House to take back control of Congress.

CNN's Dana Bash reports the White House is working to try and change public perception about the situation in Iraq. Bush has a series of speeches aimed at doing just that, beginning with yesterday's address at George Washington University that focused on security. Next week, Bush will highlight the political progress being made in this war torn country that some people suggest is slipping into a civil war.

"The situation in Iraq is still tense, and we're still seeing acts of sectarian violence and reprisal," Bush said yesterday. "Yet, out of this crisis, we've also seen signs of a hopeful future."

To view the poll, click here. (pdf)

Today, Bush turns his attention toward domestic issues, heading to upstate New York to talk about the Medicare prescription drug benefit. At 11:35 a.m. ET, Bush visits Ferris Hill at West Lake Senior Center in Canandaigua and then at 12:35 p.m. ET participates in a conversation about the drug benefit plan.

Two of Bush's closest allies came to his defense yesterday when Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) offered a Senate resolution to censure the President, who Feingold accuses of breaking the law by authorizing a domestic surveillance program.

At a campaign stop in Wisconsin, Vice President Cheney challenged Democrats to take a stand on Feingold's attempt to officially rebuke the President.

"This outrageous proposition that we ought to protect our enemy's ability to communicate as it plots against America poses a key test for our Democratic leaders: Do they support the extreme and counterproductive antics of a few, or do they support a lawful program vital to the security of this nation?" Cheney said.

The Vice President asserted that Americans "agree with the President and our administration's position is clear -- If there are individuals inside our country talking with al Qaeda overseas, we want to know about it."

Once Feingold introduced the resolution, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) tried to have an immediate vote on it and described it as "a political stunt that is addressed at attacking the President of the United States of America when we're at war."

Democrats objected to the snap vote suggesting that Republicans were trying to mute debate on the issue. In a CNN interview earlier Monday, Feingold said the administration was playing a "game of intimidation" that appeared to be working.

"Even Republican Senators have said this is not within the law," he said. "But the intimidation campaign of calling people names makes people apparently afraid of saying exactly what the law is and stand up for the Constitution."

In other news today, attendees of the American Medical Association's policy conference will hear from some of Washington's top political players. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) was scheduled to address the group at 7:30 a.m. ET, while Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean will speak at 1:15 p.m. ET, followed by Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman at 2:30 p.m. ET. The conference is being held at the Mayflower Hotel.

And the Senate's newest member, Sen. Robert Menendez (D-New Jersey), is scheduled to give a 10:30 a.m. ET speech at the Center for American Progress in what is being touted as a "Major Ports Security Address." Menendez, who is running for a full six year term after being appointed to the seat in January, will "outline his plan to strengthen security at America's ports before offering a budget amendment in the full Senate that will substantially increase port security funding."

Grind Extra - The Clinton Concern

Posted 9:50 a.m. ET
From Mark Preston, CNN Political Unit

When Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) weaved two jokes about Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-New York) into his speech before the Southern Republican Leadership Conference this past weekend, the partisan audience roared in approval. But under that laughter was a sense of nervousness that the former first lady will once again try to call the White House home.

Nearly 2,000 Republicans from Southern and Midwestern states gathered at the famous Peabody Hotel to hear from six Republicans considering a run, vote for their favorites and discuss the party's vision for the country. While the delegates split 13 different ways on who they thought should follow President Bush as commander-in-chief, they agreed on the core Republican principles and perhaps just as importantly, the need to defeat Clinton should she run.

"Never underestimate the Clintons," said one state party chairman, who asked not to be named. And when Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tennessee) and Sen. Trent Lott (R-Mississippi) made passing references to Clinton in their speeches, the tone of their remarks was not one of underestimation.

The concern of another Clinton presidency might be so overriding that the disparate wings of the Republican Party could shed their litmus tests and come together to unite behind a common candidate as their presidential nominee, several attendees said in interviews.

"I don't think Republicans are going to want to nominate someone who can't win," said Georgia State Republican Chairman Alec Poitevint. "We don't want to lose."

But for the purposes of this meeting, the rhetoric was red hot as the half dozen candidates sought to introduce themselves and make inroads with these activists who tend to lean more towards the conservative side of the political spectrum. Frist, the home state favorite, easily won the Hotline's straw poll with 36.9 percent of the vote. All but 97 of the 526 votes cast for him were by Tennessee delegates, who blanketed the hotel with "Frist Is My Leader" paraphernalia.

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) made a surprising second-place finish with 205 votes, or 14.4 percent.

Frist overcame an 11th-hour attempt by Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and other GOP leaders who urged voters to write in President Bush as their choice in a symbolic sign of support for the embattled leader. Bush tied for third place with Sen. George Allen of Virginia. Each received 147 votes, or 10.3 percent.

McCain, whose write-in effort was largely viewed by attendees as an attempt to derail a Frist victory, placed fourth with 66 votes or 4.6 percent. McCain's political advisers denied that that was his goal, and said it was appropriate to stand by Bush as the United States fights the war on terror.

While the weekend helped boost a sagging Frist candidacy, two other candidates left Memphis with more political capital than when they first arrived. Romney's second place finish indicated he might be able to connect with voters from the South and Midwest. And Sen. George Allen's (R-Virginia) rousing speech arguably was the best received by the delegates.

"I never heard him (speak) before in my life," said Chadwick Melder, 35, a delegate from Baton Rogue, Louisiana. "He gave us energy and the opportunity to reinvigorate our desire to improve our party."

But Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman, in an interview with reporters, urged that all Republicans -- including those eyeing a presidential run in 2008 -- focus on helping Republicans win in the midterm elections.

Political Hot Topics

Posted: 9:50 a.m. ET
From Stephen Bach, CNN Washington Bureau

NEW LOW IN CNN/USA TODAY/GALLUP: President Bush's "approval rating" has sunk to a new low according to a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll released Monday. The latest results show only 36% of those polled saying they "approve" of the way Bush is handling his job. Bush's previous low was 37%, set last November. Sixty percent of those polled said they "disapprove" of Bush's performance. That matches an all-time worst rating hit last November and again two weeks ago. Democrats have their biggest advantage since 1992 when poll respondents are asked if they favor Democratic or Republican congressional candidates. The spread: Democrats over Republicans 55%-39%, a 16-percentage-point gap. USA Today: Poll: Bush approval rating hits new lowexternal link

FOR SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T LIKE TIMELINES... President Bush vowed for the first time yesterday to turn over most of Iraq to newly trained Iraqi troops by the end of this year, setting a specific benchmark as he kicked off a fresh drive to reassure Americans alarmed by the recent burst of sectarian violence. Bush, who until now has resisted concrete timelines as the Iraq war dragged on longer than he expected, outlined the target in the first of a series of speeches intended to lay out his strategy for victory. While acknowledging grim developments on the ground, Bush declared "real progress" in standing up Iraqi forces capable of defending their nation. Washington Post: Bush Sets Target for Transition In Iraqexternal link

SOME IRAQI IEDS COMING FROM IRAN: President Bush yesterday blamed Iran for helping kill American troops in Iraq, saying they are supplying some of the ever-more-lethal explosives that insurgents are using against coalition forces. "Tehran has been responsible for at least some of the increasing lethality of anti-coalition attacks by providing Shi'a militia with the capabilities to build improvised explosive devices in Iraq," Mr. Bush said, adding that troops have seized IEDs "that were clearly produced in Iran." In the first of a planned series of speeches designed to steel Americans' resolve three years after the invasion of Iraq, Mr. Bush continued to build a case against neighboring Iran as a destabilizing force in the region. Washington Times: Bush says Iran bombs used in Iraqexternal link

THE "QUICK FALL" OF CLAUDE ALLEN: Claude A. Allen often said his religious upbringing took him from a two-room apartment in a poor neighborhood of Washington to a post at the White House. "Probably the vast majority of the kids who grew up in our neighborhood were either strung out on drugs or in jail or dead," Mr. Allen, one of the nation's most prominent African-American Republicans, said in a televised interview. But Mr. Allen said his salvation was the Roman Catholic education "that taught me discipline, taught me hard work, that taught me values that were carried throughout life." Last week, that life and discipline appeared to have frayed when Mr. Allen, the president's former domestic policy adviser, was arrested in suburban Maryland and charged with stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise from Target and other stores in a scheme to fake returns. New York Times: For Bush's Ex-Aide, Quick Fall After Long Climbexternal link

DPW WON'T SELL MIAMI OPS: The Dubai-owned company that promised to surrender its U.S. port operations has no immediate plans to sell its U.S. subsidiary's interests at Miami's seaport, a senior executive wrote Monday in a private e-mail to business associates. Even if DP World were to sell its Miami operations to quell the congressional furor over an Arab-owned company managing major U.S. ports, "that would probably take a while," wrote Robert Scavone, a vice president for DP World's U.S. subsidiary. The e-mail, obtained by The Associated Press, added to questions raised since DP World's announcement last week that it will divest U.S. port operations it acquired when it bought London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. AP via Yahoo! News: E-Mail Casts Doubt on DP World's Plansexternal link

NOT MANY DEMS ON THE CENSURE BANDWAGON: Senate Democrats on Monday blocked an immediate vote on a call by one of their own to censure President Bush for his eavesdropping program. They acted after Republicans said they were eager to pass judgment on a proposal that they portrayed as baseless and disruptive to the antiterror effort. Minutes before Senator Russell D. Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, formally introduced his resolution reprimanding Mr. Bush, Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, said Republicans were ready to vote by day's end or Tuesday. New York Times: Democrats Beat Quick Retreat on Call to Censure Presidentexternal link

EARLE'S SUBPOENAS "NULL AND VOID": U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay won a legal victory Monday when a state appeals court told prosecutors to stop issuing subpoenas in the case against the Sugar Land Republican. The Austin-based 3rd Court of Appeals agreed with DeLay's lawyers, who had argued last week that 30 recent subpoenas -- including one for DeLay's wife -- came when all legal action in the case is supposed to be on hold. The court also ruled Monday that the recent subpoenas issued by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle's office are "null and void." "All of those subpoenas are worthless," DeLay's lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, said after the ruling. "What I'm going to do is make sure everyone who got a subpoena gets one of these copies (of the ruling) so they can thumb their nose at Ronnie Earle." Austin American Statesman: Judges halt subpoenas in DeLay caseexternal link

HARRIS GEARS UP FOR MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris is slated to address a Fort Lauderdale conference of Christian conservatives Saturday on "bringing faith" to the public forum. If only she could get people to have faith in her U.S. Senate campaign. The Sarasota Republican is expected to make an announcement this week about her increasingly beleaguered campaign to unseat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. Harris has labored to raise money and attract support even from her own party, and in recent weeks has been buffeted by rampant speculation that she'll drop out of the race... A spokesman for Harris said Monday that the announcement has not yet been scheduled. But the speculation has not ceased. Some observers suggest that Harris, who has had trouble raising money and support from Republicans who see her as too divisive, may bow out. Miami Herald: Harris to reveal if she plans to stay in raceexternal link

DEM LAMONT WILL CHALLENGE LIEBERMAN: Ending two months of exploratory campaigning, Ned Lamont debuted Monday as a full-fledged challenger to Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, promising a debate on the war in Iraq and a fight for the soul of the Democratic Party. Lamont, 52, a Greenwich cable television entrepreneur with deep pockets and liberal politics, promised a hard challenge from the left for a Democratic nomination that has gone to Lieberman without opposition since 1988. Lieberman's support for invading Iraq may be the catalyst for a challenge to a three-term incumbent whose candidacy he once supported financially, but Lamont said his differences with the senator go deeper than the war. Hartford Courant: Lamont Opens Senate Fightexternal link

NOLA'S LANDRIEU STUMPING IN TX: Candidates for mayor usually don't waste time stumping in other cities, much less other states. But New Orleans mayoral hopeful Mitch Landrieu was cheerfully working a Texas crowd Monday evening -- the latest sign that winning the April 22 election to lead the woebegone Crescent City would require extraordinary campaign tactics. More than six months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, only about a third of the city's nearly half-million residents have returned. In fact, Houston is still housing an estimated 150,000 New Orleans residents. As a result, canvassing for votes in the mayoral race requires that, in addition to visiting the Garden District and the French Quarter, candidates hop aboard airplanes and endure long drives to reach potential voters scattered in Atlanta, Houston, Dallas and Memphis. Los Angeles Times: New Orleans Mayoral Hopeful Visits Texasexternal link

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