The question is, who ought to make that decision? The Congress or the commanders? And as you know, my position is clear -- I'm a commander guy.

Last night, Bush leaned as heavily as ever on his ass-kissing little chickenshit commander [Don't look at me, I didn't say it. It was Petraeus' boss.] invoking his name no fewer than eight times in his 17 minute speech. But what's Bush's real record as a "commander guy?"

BUSH: I have always said that I will listen to the requests of our commanders on the ground. Maj. Gen. John BATISTE: Mr. President, you did not listen. You continue to pursue a failed strategy that is breaking our great Army and Marine Corps.

He did not listen. Instead, he cycled through generals until he found one who would say things he wanted to listen to, finally landing on Petraeus.

Now of course, Bush and his Republican cohorts must cling desperately to the leaky life raft that is the Petraeus name. The name -- really, the rank -- is all they've got left. The notion that they can actually lean on and run on the plan is now beyond ridiculous. That can't be rehabilitated. It, like everything about Iraq, remains on the same maintenance prescription: kill 750 troops and call me in six months. The plan is sunk. The name and rank must be preserved.

What else can explain both the shrillness and desperation evident in their howls of protest over the jabs at Petraeus and their invocation of those slights in their fundraising materials? The Bush name is mud. Can't raise a dime off that. Same with Iraq and the tired, old buzzwords that used to open checkbooks. But General? Petraeus? That's still bankable. At least until that Brand Name is discredited and destroyed by too long an association with the failure that is Bush, as well.

That day may be coming soon, but for right now, all Republican bets are riding on the shiny medals on Petraeus' chest. We all know how the Bush plan for Iraq polls. It ranks in popularity somewhere in the neighborhood of ringworm. But the Petraeus plan?

A Rasmussen poll released Thursday showed that 43 percent of Americans support the Petraeus plan while 38 percent oppose it. In addition, 71 percent of respondents said it is likely that "a large number of U.S. soldiers will remain in Iraq five years from today." The support for the Petraeus plan is split along party lines. Sixty-six percent of Republicans support it while 55 percent of Democrats are opposed to it. According to the poll, independents are evenly divided.

That's right. When Rasmussen polls on the plan, they ask:

Do you favor or oppose Petraeus' recommendation to withdraw 30,000 soldiers from Iraq but leave 130,000 troops in place at least through the summer?

The hidden message here is that Bush himself is in his "last throes, if you will." Associating the name of the Commander in Chief with an actual military plan (or really, with anything at this point) is instant death.