Froomkin: Rove's Risky Embrace

El Froom is always a must-read, but today's column is especially good:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/10/11/LI2005101100925.html

Rove's Risky Embrace

By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Thursday, June 22, 2006; 12:12 PM

Karl Rove is a master of high-stakes brinksmanship, as he has proven time and time again.

But his latest venture may be his riskiest yet.

Rove is betting that he can reframe the war in Iraq as a battle between courageous Republicans and pusillanimous Democrats.

The stakes: Congress. (And subpoena power.)

Rove believes that this strength vs. weakness rhetorical construct, combined with continued attacks on the media, will be enough to counterbalance whatever negative news about the actual war continues to emerge between now and the mid-term elections.

The actual war remains one in which people die every day, sometimes in the most gruesome ways, for reasons that aren't entirely clear. It's a war that according to the polls the public now thinks was a mistake, feels it was misled into supporting, and would like to see ending on some sort of timetable. It's a war that has raised questions about American devotion to human rights. It's a war we may not be able to win.

But Rove thinks he can win the war over the war.

(much more at link)

Stand firm, stand for principle. If we start the "I support the president, too" crap of 2002, or the "I would vote again for the war, but manage it better" bullshit of 2004, we get crushed. Crushed. Murtha has the message, and the citizenry wants out. They will use fear, we must stand on principle. Don't be intimidated by what's coming; they will twist and distort us no matter what position we take. So take the right one.

He showed the others that the repubs don't bit they just bark a lot.

The object is also, or even mainly, to give a PRETEXT for a GOP surprise showing in November achieved by a multitude of fraud, ever increasing as fast as it is exposed. That is to say,Dems WAITING to destroy this absurd twist by the public on election day are enabling Rove to get another twofer. First it continues to work as intended and then confirms his genius on election day without anyone able to pierce the level of fraud upon which both the lie and vote tally is based.

All of these strategies depend on the fear and weaknesses of leadership Dems and supposedly expert politicians holding fast to the Maginot Line of "conventional politics" which somehow seems to become ever more Pollyanna with each conquest by cynicism and GOP lies. This something like quantum mechanics except more possible as long as the lies keep spinning.

All I heard from the Pugs yesterday was some overgrown rhetoric, same as always, why don't we
get the facts, even before the Iraq war, we had expert UN weapon inspectors, at least we
had somebody who had objective facts, now all we get is: We are the Champions, my friends,
and we'll keep on fighing till the end, cause we are the Champions, blah, blah, blah.

Barring an all out election fraud, a distinct probability, I seriously think that people are ready and willing to move on.

The majority of Americans (Democrats and the 20% in the middle=60%) oppose this war and don't believe that there are any ties between Iraq and the terrorists. Bush is spinning his wheels on ice and is sliding towards defeat.