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Guest forum: Rove, the power behind the throne, and his nightmare By Bruce Evans, Ashland The Iraq situation must be causing Karl Rove to have nightmares. The way I see it, late last summer Rove was worried that, with the economy in the toilet, the Enron scandal closing in, and GW's inability to get Osama bin Laden, Democrats would hold on to the Senate and possibly regain the House. Republican control of Congress would be essential to the administration agenda - eliminate taxes on corporations and the wealthy; gut, if not completely dismantle Social Security, Medicare, and other social safety net programs; federal support for public education and environmental and health and safety controls and regulations. Rove, GW's political adviser, comes up with a plan to distract voters - Iraq. He approaches the inner circle with the idea, but GW is still fixed on bin Laden and the desire to get him "dead or alive." The anti-Iraq hardliners, such as Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, suggest that there appear to be links between bin Laden and Sadam Hussein and � "He's got weapons of mass destruction;" "Don't forget that Sadam tried to have your father killed." "Oh yeah," responds GW. "He did didn't he." "And they are part of my Axis-of-Evil." "When can we go to war?" Rove's goal was that by crying wolf and rattling a few sabers, voters would be distracted long enough to get the Republicans through the elections in November. Then the war rhetoric could be cooled again until it came time for re-election. He didn't want a repeat of what happen GW's father: a quick military victory with an economic repression resulting in an election defeat. If GW absolutely needed to go to war, putting it off until 2004 would be better. Americans historically don't vote a president out of office during times of war. However, when GW gets a bit between his teeth there is no stopping him, especially when egged on by hardline advisers � "Don't forget about attempt on your father �" "Sadam is trying to make you look like a fool �" "If you back down you, will look weak �" "Think of all that oil �" Yes, Karl Rove, the power behind the throne, must be having nightmares - a quick military victory, with more casualties than in Desert Storm, a year to go before the election and economic recession. As Yogi Berra is credited with saying, it would be "d�j� vu all over again." But there is North Korea isn't there? Hmmm. Maybe we could have a war with North Korea in 2004 � Yeah ... that could work. The debate over gun control should exclude sportsmen By Kurt Hartmann, Ashland Although I have long been troubled by the runaway state of violence - especially gun violence - in our society, it was not until I read Joe Charter and Bill McMillan's thoughtful essay in the January 8 edition of The Daily Tidings that I became motivated to "take pen in hand," as it were. As a long-time opponent of virtually uncontrolled gun availability and use in our nation, it occurs to me that the advocates of gun control have been less than astute in the tactics they employ on behalf of their cause. The cardinal rule of conflict, be it military or political, is of course to avoid attacking your adversary where he is strong but to smite him hip and thigh where he is vulnerable and weak. Be in radio or TV talk shows, formal debates and published screeds, the opponents of gun registration and other controls - the National Rifle Association foremost among them - unfailingly hinge their arguments to the allegation that among the most odious consequences of such controls would be infringement of the rights of sportsmen: hunters and target shooting enthusiasts. These groups, the vast majority among them being law abiding men and women, understandably feel threatened and resultingly lend both their vast numbers and no little dues money to the NRA. "Ay, there's the rub" - for in reality the great majority of firearm violence erupts not from the barrels of hunting rifles or shotguns, but from handguns, including the notorious "Saturday Night Specials," the preferred instruments of robbers, mobsters and, yes, perpetrators of domestic violence. Once one accepts the reality of that calculus, it will be no more than an exercise in simple logic to establish a path that will lead toward curbing gun violence in the U.S. For once the societal elements promoting gun controls reassure sportsmen that their hunting rifles are not the object of the "reform" movement, the resistance of those law abiding sportsmen will wane - as will their allegiance to and financial support of the NRA- and in relatively short order more than half the battle will have been won. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -