Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) thinks it’s perfectly okay for Mitt Romney to avoid paying taxes. In fact, it’s his patriotic duty.

Mitt Romney shouldn’t be criticized for using off-shore tax havens because “it’s really American to avoid paying taxes, legally,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Tuesday.

The presumptive GOP presidential nominee has come under fire for stashing assets overseas in places like Bermuda and Switzerland.

Graham argued that Congress is responsible for tax avoidance because it has crafted such convoluted rules and said he was fine with Romney’s taking advantage of the loopholes.

“As long as it was legal, I’m OK with it,” Graham said. “I don’t blame anybody for using the tax code to their advantage. I blame us for having it so complicated and confused. Pick a rate and make people pay it.”

In the meantime, anything within the rules goes, he argued.

“It’s a game we play,” Graham said. “Every American tries to find the way to get the most deductions they can. I see nothing wrong with playing the game because we set it up to be a game.”

Just because it’s legal doesn’t make it right. And we were reminded of that ethical standard at every turn by folks like Mr. Graham when Bill Clinton got busted for getting his horn honked in the Oval Office. It was perfectly legal, after all. But, as the blue noses constantly reminded us, we must hold our public officials to a much higher standard.

Or does that apply to Democrats only? Is that just another game we play?