Today's Situation Room:
Wolf Blitzer delivers the most important breaking news and political, international, and national security stories of the day. Tune to The Situation Room weekdays 5-7pm ET on CNN.
Exclusive interview with Sheriff Babeu
In an in-depth, exclusive interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu denies allegations of threatening a former boyfriend.
Part 2: Arizona Sheriff on leaving Romney post
Part 3: Sheriff Babeu on gay marriage
RELATED STORY: Arizona sheriff resigns Romney role after allegations
Democrats targeting Santorum
Do Democrats see the former Pennsylvania senator as a serious threat? CNN's Donna Brazile and Will Cain discuss with Wolf Blitzer.
Time for U.S. to arm Syrian rebels?
In an interview CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain discuss the possibility of arming Syrian rebels.
RELATED STORY: Senator 'optimistic' Egypt NGO standoff near end
BLITZER'S BLOG: Santorum will be center stage at Wednesday's CNN debate
By Wolf Blitzer, CNN
Mesa, Arizona (CNN) – It’s good to come back to the Phoenix area in advance of CNN’s Republican presidential debate at the Mesa Arts Center. The debate takes place Wednesday night. John King will moderate.
It’s amazing how quickly things have changed. Rick Santorum is now the front-runner. He will be center stage.
When I moderated the last debate on January 26 in Jacksonville, Florida, Newt Gingrich was seen as Mitt Romney’s main threat. Now it’s Santorum.
Winning those contests in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota really did the job for Santorum.
Gingrich and his supporters still are hoping that wins on Super Tuesday, March 6, will inject his campaign with new momentum. Given the ups and downs of this GOP campaign season, that is still possible. There will be 10 contests that day.
But more immediately, the contests here in Arizona and Michigan on February 28 will be very important. If Santorum can’t pull off an upset win in Romney's home state of Michigan, that will spell major heartburn for the former Massachusetts governor.
Here’s what I will be looking for in Wednesday night’s debate:
How hard will Romney go after Santorum?
Will Santorum hit right back or try to take the high road?
Will they fight over the social issues, including abortion, birth control pills, prenatal testing and public school education?
Will Gingrich go after Santorum or Romney or both?
Where does Ron Paul fit into all of this strategy? He’s raising millions and has no intention of leaving the race.
As I said, it’s good to come back to Arizona to cover all of this.
CNN LIVE: Tune in Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET for the final presidential debate before Super Tuesday: The CNN Arizona Republican Debate. Only on CNN. Follow it on Twitter at #CNNDebate.
Follow Wolf Blitzer on Twitter: @WolfBlitzerCNN
RELATED STORY: Arizona debate matters for GOP's final four
SEE ALSO: Poll: Santorum lead expands nationwide
Heart attack at Heart Attack Grill
Truth in advertising as a customer at Heart Attack Grill has an apparent heart attack. CNN's Jeanne Moos reports.
Basketball phenom a Lin-spiration
Basketball's newest star Lin-spires a Lin-sane amount of wordplay. CNN's Jeanne Moos has the Lin-spiring story.
New poll: Obama ahead of GOP hopefuls
A new poll shows President Obama has a lead over GOP candidates in hypothetical match-ups. CNN's Candy Crowley and Gloria Borger have more.
RELATED STORY: CNN Poll: Obama approval rating back to 50% mark
Obama campaign's "chimichanga" controversy
The Hispanic Leadership Network is demanding an apology for President Obama campaign manager Jim Messina's tweet.
[tweet https://twitter.com/Messina2012/status/169784156123967488%5D
Should he apologize? CNN contributors Maria Cardona and Mary Matalin discuss in the Strategy Session.
What would a war with Iran look like?
U.S military officials are preparing for Iran to fight an asymmetric war. What exactly does that mean and how would it play out? CNN's Chris Lawrence reports.
Could Iran target U.S. Jewish groups?
By Carol Cratty, with reporting from Ross Levitt and Dugald McConnell
(CNN) - With tensions between Iran and the West running high, law enforcement officials are concerned Iran or its surrogates could mount attacks against Jewish targets inside the United States – but there is no specific information that any plots are in the works, according to an intelligence bulletin obtained by CNN.
About this Show
The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer is the command center for breaking news, politics and extraordinary reports from around the world. Tune in weeknights from 5-7pm ET on CNN.
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