THE VILLAGE LOVES GRAHAM. ACTUAL REPUBLICANS, NOT SO MUCH.

The Beltway Villagers simply can't bear the brave new world in which Republicans aren't obviously dominant, so they're desperately seeking someone -- anyone -- whose leadership can help restore the status quo ante. Here's The Washington Post's Chris Cillizza with the latest possible standard-bearer for a future restoration:

Dispirited Republicans looking for national leaders amid a wash of scandals that have dominated national news over the last fortnight got a bit of good news on Sunday with an inspired performance on "Meet the Press" by South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R)....

Asked about Gov. Mark Sanford's extramarital affair, Graham, who is close to the governor, said that he was "disappointed" in his friend's behavior and praised Obama as "one of the better role models in the entire country for the idea of being a good parent, a good father."

Of the two major legislative victories for Democrats so far this Congress -- the economic stimulus bill and the climate change measure -- Graham offered a criticism that acknowledged the mistakes his own party had made while subtly hanging the politics as usual label on Obama and Democrats.

"The stimulus package was Karl Rove politics; pick a few Republicans off, call it bipartisan," said Graham. "The climate change bill was Tom DeLay banging heads and twisting arms to get one vote more than you needed. So there's really been no change in Washington." ...

Does one solid performance on a Sunday show mean that Graham is the new "it" guy for the GOP? No. But the notoriously private Graham seemed to signal on Sunday that he is ready to take more of a leadership role....

Politico's Jonathan Martin seconds this.

All of which would be swell news for the GOP, except for one small stumbling block: the unswerving resistance of actual Republicans. Here's some reaction to the same Meet the Press appearance from Free Republic:

You go Goober! Way to waste valuable face time praising Our Little President.!

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Really. I wish this insipid little sh*t would just shut up and go away.

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Graham is amazing -- he doesn't even demand a $30 economy box of Frito chips nor a gas card in return for his services.

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Hitler loved his dog. WTF does it matter to the country what kind of father Obozo is to his kids?

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What's that brown stuff on your nose, Lindsey?


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pitiful white liberal guilt affects RINOs


And these folks have no doubt that rumors of Graham's homosexuality are true:

Why couldn't it had been Graham in Argentina? At least we could call him Lindsey and not leslie

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What would that little homo weasel know about being a father?

And, incidentally, they have some rather baroque theories about the president:

Rumor has it that [Obama] is only biological father to one: second offspring is result of angry underbite's affair. Look at her: she does not resemble the One is any way, shape or manner.

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Well, he’s pretty good at using his kids as photo-ops. What goes on behind the scenes, who knows?

He was pretty certainly molested as a child himself, one reason why he seems to have turned out gay, but that doesn't mean he grew up to be a child molester himself. Rather, he is a pathological narcissist, who I suspect pays little or no attention to his kids or his dog except when he is being watched or photographed, when he wants to show unlookers what a wonderful guy he is.

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Well, Lindsay, you wanna warm his bed when m'obozo is taking a taxpayer-free shopping jaunt in Paris? Since obozo is bisexual, he wouldn’t mind having a little white boy like servicing him.

Oh yeah -- this is a group of voters that's really ready for a change from overheated, fire-breathing rhetoric, wouldn't you say?