It would be a tragedy if it was true.

As I write these words the news that the U.S. has attacked a target inside Syria is still being updated.

Syria has long been the source of many of the fighters entering Iraq. There’s little doubt about that. And Syria supports much of the unrest in the Middle East. They’re a primary sponsor of Hezbollah, for example, the quasi-government controlling southern Lebanon that humbled the Israeli army two years ago.

In the Bush world view, that means it’s OK to wage war against them at the President’s sole discretion, international law be damned.

Let’s rewind the tape just a few months. Georgian troops attack rebels in their own territory, but end up killing Russian troops stationed there as ‘peacekeepers’ under UN authorization as well. Russia decides that is too much and counter attacks.

The issue I want to highlight is not whether Russia or Georgia was ‘right’. The issue is, what about international law? Is there any such thing anymore?

Bush proclaimed from the White House that, “Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected.” I agree with that, but why is it not OK for Russia to invade Georgia to defend their troops and it is OK for us to invade Syria to defend ours?

If the U.S. is ever to regain any respect in the world community, we will have to start by giving some respect back to the rights of other countries. Law is the basis of civilization. Bush’s willingness to simply ignore any rule of law is destroying what civilization might be left in the world.

But there’s an even more sinister possibility.

What if Bush is so committed to his ‘tribe’ remaining in power that he is willing to sacrifice even his own country’s interest to an ‘October Surprise’ to turn around an election that is clearly being lost? If he could provoke an international incident, it would refocus all attention on the one issue where McCain hasn’t lost the confidence of American voters: the military defense of America. It’s the only thing I can imagine that would pull the election out of the fire for McCain.

It would be a tragedy for America if the man we elected as President – twice – could sink so low. But I don’t believe even that is too low for Bush.