I never thought I would be blessing the conservatism, wisdom and restraint of a Republican House of Representatives, but here I am today, thanking them for refusing to be stampeded over the same penny-pinching cliff as the cowardly, sailtrimming U.S. Senate.

Let me read you a list of Republican Senators who chose to present a bill to the Iraqi people for a "gift" we promised to give them:

Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Colo.)
John Ensign (Nev.)
Lindsey Graham (SC)
Olympia J. Snowe (Maine)
Sam Brownback (Kans.)
Saxby Chambliss (Ga.)
Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)
Susan Collins (Maine)

Collins and Snowe are from what once was my wing of the Republican Party, when I was still a Republican. For that, I am remorseful. But I will point out that Voinovich, Chafee, and Specter are all missing from this list. At least some fragments of the Republican moderate wing came through.

But look who's up there. Lindsey Graham. Saxby Chambliss. SAXBY FUCKING CHAMBLISS! The man who stomped all over a three-time amputee WAR VETERAN to prove that he was STRONGER ON DEFENSE! Back when I was wavering on whether we should invade Iraq (oh, yes, it happened - I had to be convinced, and I never relished the idea of war), I noted in a moment of new-minted Democratic fury that chickenhawks like Saxby Chambliss ought to have been crucified across the front glacis plate of the first Bradley across the Iraqi international border. Graham is easily in the same class as Chambliss, but he was blessed by fortune and fate with an opponent who wasn't a VIETNAM WAR VET!

So, our friends the new-minted Southern chickenhawks show they're capable of turning into backstabbing, cheese-paring neoisolationists at the drop of a gimmie cap. What a surprise.

Let me take this moment to tell you all

I told you so!

Meanwhile, m'man John McCain has been out there talking to half the papers in the world about his vote against the amendment. Knew we could count on John.

Update: I don't know what to make of Lieberman not voting. On the one hand, his and Byrd's nonvotes would have cancelled each other out, unless I've misread Byrd's stance on the matter. On the other hand, it looks a hell of a lot like sailtrimming, or at least dodging a hard call. It's not a betrayal, but he isn't impressing me with his fortitude.