An appreciation of Lindsey Graham
He gave it his all
I was stunned to wake up this morning to the news of Senator Lindsey Graham’s death. How could this happen to a man in the middle of a mission?
But the news was true. Tributes began to pour in, including from his most well-known and temporary political rival, President Donald Trump.
Needless to say, the anonymous trolls of the internet also enjoyed themselves, in the usual alliance of the mainstream left together with the kook right. People claiming to be Christian speculated darkly about a poor prognosis for Senator Graham’s afterlife, forgetting that those who bless Israel will themselves be blessed.
If you read the following link, you will find that the popular website “The Gateway Pundit” used the phrase “war pig” in the title of at least 8 different articles about Senator Graham.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/?s=war+pig
One example is this winner: “WarPig Lindsey Graham Wants You for IDF” (the Israeli Defense Forces). This supposedly conservative, America first website could not figure out the relationship between Graham and Trump, or what Graham stood for.
Neo-conservatism, the ultimate crime to the isolationist right, supports nation-building. I do not, and I am not aware that Graham did.
However, Senator Graham was perfectly aligned with President Trump in using American power to destroy the power of terrorists to create more terror. That is the ultimate expression of America first.
Specifically, Senator Graham was well-known for his support of Israel and Ukraine in their defensive wars. I have written before about my position on Ukraine; I have no love for that nation, and am grateful that my ancestors escaped there in the early 20th century. Nevertheless, I don’t want Russia to wipe it off the map as the Duginists wish to do. Ukrainian independence is critical to Europe’s survival.
Senator Graham saw that. He also saw the most pro-America country in the Middle East surrounded by hostile jihadist neighbors with 200 times the population and 1300 times the area. He chose to stand with Israel and Ukraine in furtherance of American interests.
Lindsey Graham must also be given credit for a gracious sense of humor, perhaps typically Southern. I cannot forget the incident during the 2016 Republican presidential primaries when candidate Donald Trump announced Senator Graham’s private phone number at a rally. Graham recorded a funny video of himself trying to destroy his ringing phone. I did not appreciate Trump’s crude bullying, but Graham had the last laugh.
Rest in peace, patriot.
My parents taught me not to speak ill of the dead, but...
I have had issues with Graham for years. He was basically an establishment, Neo-Con, Republican, but he was far from being a conservative Republican. Graham was a war hawk and probably never disapproved any war we went our children to die in. Graham voted for approval for every liberal judge the Demonrats put before the Senate. We will be paying for Graham's votes for many years. He was involved with promoting Red Flag gun laws, adopted by several states. Basically, those laws are unconstitutional, allowing a person's guns to be confiscated without due process. Graham endorsed the bioweapons, aka the COVID "vaccine". During the infamous January 6th demonstration, he said to DC police, paraphrased, you have guns-- why don't you use them? He wanted the DC police to shoot innocent US citizens.
For these, and other, incidences/events, I cannot forgive Graham. May he rest in peace. I hope whoever replaces him is a real conservative Republican (although I don't have much hope for Gov. McMaster's temporary replacement).