It's Going To Get Uglier

Andrew Sullivan previews the next stage of the GOP's political survival strategy-

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. This is his "Hail Mary" move for November; it's brutally exploitative of 9/11; it's pure partisanship; and it's designed to enable an untrammeled executive. Decent Republicans, Independents and Democrats must do all they can to expose and resist this latest descent into political thuggery. If you need proof that this administration's first priority is not a humane and effective counter-terror strategy, but a brutal, exploitative path to retaining power at any price, you just got it.

Don't it just make ya proud? Bill Clinton's got the money quote on the Republican's use of these themes and tactics: "They've trotted that dog out for the last three elections - and it's got mange all over it."

Digby predicts Sens. McCain, Warner and Graham will cave. Knowing McCain, it is likely.

But that's a national campaign. What are Republicans planning to do on the local level?-

Republicans are planning to spend the vast majority of their sizable financial war chest over the final 60 days of the campaign attacking Democratic House and Senate candidates over personal issues and local controversies, GOP officials said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which this year dispatched a half-dozen operatives to comb through tax, court and other records looking for damaging information on Democratic candidates, plans to spend more than 90 percent of its $50 million-plus advertising budget on what officials described as negative ads.

The hope is that a vigorous effort to "define" opponents, in the parlance of GOP operatives, can help Republicans shift the midterm debate away from Iraq and limit losses this fall...

I really wish I could pull a Rip Van Winkle and not wake up until the morning of election day. This election season is going to put all others to shame. This current Republican party, probably one of the most incompetent and shrill majorities in American history, is not going to down without a fight. It will be a bloodbath and God help us if the Democrats aren't up to the fight.

And that's not even factoring in the real and serious threat of voter fraud and disenfranchisement on Election Day- their other tried-and-true 'Hail Mary pass'. Hopefully, someone is keeping an eye on that too.