All in

That, if you don't recognize it, is a poker term. I am not much of a poker player, but have played some with my reprobate friends. It is that point in a game where one player says "all or nothing."

SOF was watching something from the Bush administration and she said, "it's "all in" for them." She's right. The Bush people are going desperate, because they fear they will lose the midterm elections.

I couldn't watch Yosemite Sam last night--his speaking often makes me sick, but I read this morning that he not only continues to justify the invasion of Iraq (that doesn't surprise me) and connect it to 9-11 (also not surprising--Repubs have been invoking 9-11 to justify a lot of things), but continue to use the anniversary to launch attacks on his political rivals.

"Bush began with a two-minute tribute to the 'nearly 3,000' victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, but most of his 17-minute speech was devoted to justifying his foreign policy since that day. With his party's control of Congress at stake in elections less than two months away, Bush suggested that political opponents who are calling for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would be giving victory to the terrorists."

One of the things that is most frustrating about the man is his logic. He claims that if we do not defeat these terrorists, we leave our children a Middle East that is worse off. I agree. And that is where we are right now. Bush's unwilingness to change course--fire Rumsfeld--bring in more troops, etc. has us in a place where a classified report says that we have already lost Anbar province politically. Meanwhile, I read elsewhere a constant drumbeat that the Taliban are creeping back--that even Afghanistan (remember that place?) is sinking back. I don't want to lose either, but with Bush at the helm, there seems no other option.

But that won't stop the "All In" gambit. Andrew Sullivan says he knows what Rove is intending:

"Next week, I'm informed via troubled White House sources, will see the full unveiling of Karl Rove's fall election strategy. He's intending to line up 9/11 families to accuse McCain, Warner and Graham of delaying justice for the perpetrators of that atrocity, because they want to uphold the ancient judicial traditions of the U.S. military and abide by the Constitution. He will use the families as an argument for legalizing torture, setting up kangaroo courts for military prisoners, and giving war crime impunity for his own aides and cronies."

We are going to get a steady diet of "9-11" and "your opposition helps the terrorists." These people are really unbelievable and I hope that the grownups will recognize that we need something better. I wish I could say we deserve something better. A people that re-elected Bush after torture, Iraq, and wmd really gets what it deserves.

Sigh.