Senator Lindsey Graham on why he and 47 other senators voted against the Levin bill to bing US toops home from Iraq in 9 months:

"It would be a very overt rejection of Gen. Petraeus' leadership," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). The military commanders "have earned the ability to carry on their mission," he said at another point.

Bite me. In a "very overt" kind of way.

First off, withdrawing the troops would be a rejection of Bush's leadership, and the GOP's leadership, and neither has "earned" anything except the disgust and hatred of the vast majority of the American people. Second, "we must not ever hut the General's feelings!" as a rationale for anything is puerile and idiotic and a load of shit. General Petreaus is not our leader, and this is not his war. Nobody voted for him. And nobody's going to vote for anyone who wants to cower behind his uniform, either.

Americans apparently know basic civics a doucheload better than Senator Graham, and his party is going to learn this in 2008.

And I hope to Christ certain Democrats learn this in certain key primaries, also.