Sunday, November 09, 2003 :::
 
Poker boldness...Iraq questions...

One last story: the monthly poker night last night was well-attended, severely limiting the number of games that could be played. In fact, only Texas Hold'em really allowed us all to sit at one table. In said game, each player has two cards dealt face down, and then five are laid in the middle of the table. You can play any combination of cards, though obviously you should not claim all five cards in the flop because everyone else can, too. As there were 12 players, the pot tended to shoot up quickly, and there was a certain percentage in occasionally holding even the most hopeless hand. And so it was that A Mind That Suits, dealt a measley 6 and 2, stayed in because the opening round of betting was low-key. And lo and behold, the first three cards were laid out in the middle, and there was one more 6 and one more 2. Two pair is a good hand, and so with judicious betting, A Mind That Suits raked in goodish amount. One of the organizers of the match, who recreates at actualy casinos, held up the winning hand in some frustration and announced, "Attention everyone: this never happens. You should never play a 6 and a 2." A Mind That Suits, feeling impish, tapped the chips that he was still stacking because there were so many of them, and replied, "these chips say you're wrong."

But the Professional was of course right, and so, when it came about shortly thereafter that A Mind That Suits was dealt another 6 and another 2, he promptly folded, saving himself a tremendous amount of embarassment.

And speaking of high stakes poker, the Washington Post this morning carries this peculiar story: the US government is so frustrated with the inaction of the Iraqi Governing Council that it is looking for other ways to get a government established so we can exit on schedule.

It is not exactly true that the IGC has been inactive: they have clamored at length for an Iraqi led paramilitary force. Having failed to secure any international cooperation on governing Iraq--quel surprise--and having gotten the support fo the UN Security Council only by tying ourselves to a fixed timeschedule for drawing up an Iraqi constitution, the US altered its opposition just a few days ago and agreed to the paramilitary force. (See Post story here .)

Certain gung-ho supporters of the war made a lot of the agreement of previously bitter enemies to serve on the Governing Council together. But now all they have agreed to is a demand that the US allow them to arm. And we've agreed to a tight schedule for writing the constitution, and Donald "30 Bucks and a Bucker of Paint" Rumsfeld keeps clamoring for a reduction in the size of the military there.

What was it the gentleman used to call them? "Things that make you go, 'hmmmm...'"

At least L. Paul Bremer, director of the Civilian Provisional Authority, seems focused (see story here), and that is a good thing.


::: posted by A Mind That Suits at 10:44 AM


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What doesn't kill me, makes me laugh... usually.