L. Brooks Patterson, a Republican who serves as a county executive near Detroit, uttered a very telling quote when expressing dismay that GOP presidential candidate John McCain had abandoned the effort to make Michigan a red state in the November election.

“When the general leaves the battlefield when the fight’s still going on, it creates a lot of chaos,” Patterson said.

Wow.

Intentionally or not, Patterson essentially referred to his party's nominee – a man who often cites his military experience in Vietnam as a leadership quality – as a bad soldier.

Wow.