Via Hoosierpundit. To think, I foolishly believed that Democrats were being petulant and antidemocratic in blocking official business by running away out of state like common criminals. Turns out they were just sort of … redeploying.

They’re the greatest heroes of all, my friends. Transcript via Geraghty.

CHEATHAM: The thing that sticks in my mind, I guess, more than anything else — and this is something that has happened. My wife teaches first grade. This past week, one of the kids in her class, a little first grader’s dad is getting sent to Afghanistan. And he was really sad. And she said, ‘Eell, you know, your dad is doing something really good. He’s going to a country where people there are trying to take away the freedoms of other people there, keep them from living a good life. So he’s leaving to do something good.’ And one of the little girls in class just on her own — and this has never been talked about in class, because my wife doesn’t do that — said, ‘It’s kind of like Mr. Cheatham, he left to make our schools better.’ And when I heard that, that gave me a reason —” (drowned out by applause.)

In fairness, then, he’s not saying he thinks fleebaggers are warriors for freedom, engaged in a nation-building project to bring security and prosperity to public employee unions everywhere. He’s saying that a six-year-old thinks that, and that he found it sufficiently clever to repeat to a roomful of constituents because they’d find it super insightful too. Which, of course, they did.

We’re really wearing out the “what if a Republican said/did it?” card lately, what with The One having gone and torn up the War Powers Act and all, but I honestly can’t wait to see the media reaction when, not if, Republicans pull this same move. Note to GOP legislators: Be sure to analogize yourselves to soldiers, too, when you do it. The press will love it.