Charleston Fire Chief Rusty Thomas still holds his job, many are waiting for him to gracefully resign, supporters have taken to the Internet, and the chief -- along with the nine men who gave their lives to fight a June warehouse blaze -- becomes something of a political pawn in next month's mayoral election.

Just another day at the office whenever politics is involved. You might shake your head and think of how backwards things are in South Carolina, but you can bet this happens in your neck of the woods, too.

But the question of whether to dump or keep the embattled fire chief is taking on a whole new political spin. According to the "I Support Chief Rusty Thomas" group website on Facebook, Mayor Joe Riley is asking voters to keep him in office as a way of supporting the chief.

"I just spoke to Mayor Joe Riley," a recent-news blurb, typed in all capital letters proclaimed on the Facebook page. "He told me to spread the word to re-elect him! This is a way we can support Chief Rusty! All of the other candidates want to get rid of Chief Rusty."

This group is being taken pretty seriously on the Web, too. As of Saturday, the group boasted 173 members.

Meanwhile, there is a further groundswell of support for Thomas on his home turf, which may create some interesting scenarios of its own.

Around James Island, yard signs are showing up everywhere, giving a show of support to Thomas. "Chief Rusty," one by the entrance to the James Island Connector reads, "you have our love and respect."

While James Island is Thomas' back yard, it is hardly Riley country. The island is divided up between Charleston and the thrice-incorporated, twice-defeated town of James Island. Many of the James Island old guard have a major bone to pick with Riley, who sued the fledgling town each time voters approved its existence. Right now it's hard to tell by looking at a map which part of the island is its own town and which is Charleston, thanks to spot annexations over the years. The municipal boundaries of that triangular sea island resemble a hunk of Swiss cheese. So, asking in-the-city James Island residents to support Thomas by voting for Riley may be akin to asking them to dance with the devil in the pale moonlight.

If you're thinking this sounds awfully crass, it is. The bodies and souls of nine deceased firefighters are quickly becoming an election issue. If I knew any of the firefighters or was kin to any of them, I'd be extremely pissed off right now.

Again, not unprecedented. On a national scale, any war becomes part of the political landscape and the victims find themselves becoming cannon fodder in the latest game of King Of The Hill. For sure the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon became a major issue in the 2004 presidential election, with the victims again becoming unwilling participants. None of which makes this right.

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Again, although they'll forever be collectively known as the Charleston Nine, these men had names, families, dreams, and lives. And again, here are the men we're talking about:

• Brad Baity, 37. Nine years on the job.
• Mike Benke, 49. With the department for 29 years.
• Melvin Champaign, 46. A relative newcomer; two years with the department.
• James "Earl" Drayton, 56. From Station 19, a 32-year veteran with the fire department, retired several times and came back.
• Michael French, 27.
• Capt. William "Billy" Hutchinson, 48. With the department 30 years.
• Mark Kelsey, 40. A 12-year veteran.
• Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34. A firefighter for 11 years.
• Brandon Thompson, 27. With the Charleston department for four years, but something of a "young veteran" — helping out fire crews as a volunteer since he was 14 and was a captain with the Pine Ridge fire agency.