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Senator Lindsey Graham thinks he will be the best choice for president in 2016, but hasn’t made his bid official yet. The South Carolina senator promises he will leave a heavy mark on the US foreign policy if he gets to the White House, and he argues that a firmer hand is extremely needed in the current global context.
“I’m running because I think the world is falling apart,” Graham was quoted saying, without specifically making his candidacy public. He spoke at the Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner in Iowa on Saturday, and foreign policy issues were the main focus of his short address.
Graham pointed out that Obama’s foreign policy is failing, especially in the Middle East, where ISIS seized the city of Ramadi from the Iraqi government over the weekend. He argued that US military involvement with ground forces in the region is imminent, and any delay will only increase the number of American casualties on the long term.
“I’m afraid more American soldiers will die in Iraq and eventually in Syria to protect our homeland,” Graham believes, indicating that the number of US trainers and advisers in Iraq needs to be at least doubled in order to transform the Iraqi troops into an efficient army.
As far as national security is concerned, Lindsey Graham has no double measures. “If you’re thinking about joining al-Qaeda or ISIL, we will kill you,” the third term senator said. Graham relished the opportunity to criticize his GOP opponents, especially Rand Paul, who argued that the NSA wiretapping and drone programs will turn the United States into a dystopian nightmare.
Graham, however, showed no reserve on using drone to safeguard the US. The South Carolina senator explained that suspected terrorists will never reach trial if he is elected president. “I’m not gonna call a judge. I’m gonna call a drone and we’re gonna kill you,” he bluntly said.
Graham enrolled the help of other top Republican figures, such as 2008 presidential candidate John McCain, to earn the much needed support for his foreign policy agenda. But the senator has also left a mark on domestic affairs, and is regarded as a reformist rather than as a right-wing Republican radical.
For instance, Graham warned that the bipartisan immigration bill which he sponsored need to be enforced for any immigration reform to be successful. He warned his GOP colleagues that if the political debate does not address this issue, the eventual Republican candidate will most likely lose.
“I worry that we’ll marginalize ourselves once again with the fastest growing community in America, the Hispanic community,” Graham fears.
Lindsay Graham suggested he will announce his plans on June 1, in Central, South Carolina – his hometown. In regards to his chance of winning the nomination from his party, the senator said early polls are of very little importance. While showing his support for Republican front-runner and likely opponent Jeb Bush, Graham said that he believes things can shift in the upcoming weeks.
Image Source: The Blaze
Brian Galloway
Brian’s philosophy is pretty straightforward: easy living, wishful thinking, heavy criticizing. Despite the fact that he wouldn’t go as far as describe himself a conspirationist, Brian does take everything with a grain of sand. He loves following every lead when covering a story and mostly enjoys to cover politics and US news.
