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Political Buzz from Washington | Joel C. Rosenberg

Previously anxious White House staffers believe TeamBush has turned the corner and won the Iraq debate, at least domestically, despite heavy initial Democrat resistance. Following the president's address to the UN, a remarkable 72 percent of Americans now believe Saddam Hussein will "eventually use weapons of mass destruction" against the United States if the administration does not take military action, according to a new Gallup poll. Eight in 10 Americans agree with the president that the UN has not been tough enough with Saddam, and Mr. Bush's job approval rating has hit 70 percent, the highest level since mid-July.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's new strategy: Try to change the subject. "Regardless of what it is we do with Iraq and the war on terrorism, I'd hope this administration can dedicate some of its time each week to economic security as well ... to this atrocious record," Sen. Daschle said in a 35-minute speech on Sept. 18 on the Senate floor. Sen. Daschle accused Mr. Bush of presiding over the loss of 2 million jobs, a $5 trillion surplus, and a $4.5 trillion drop in stock values. TeamBush counters that Democrats have no plan for the economy, other than to raise taxes by canceling the Bush tax cuts.