Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) came out of nowhere last week with the announcement that he’s formed a presidential exploratory committee. Dubbed “Security Through Strength,” the committee will allow Graham to “test the waters” in an already crowded presidential primary field
More from WaPo:
“I’m going to take a look at the presidential primary on the Republican side. We’ll have an organization up and running today,” Graham told Fox News. “This organization will allow people to donate money and their time and resources to see if there is a pathway forward for me.”“The committee will fund the infrastructure and operations allowing Graham to travel the country, listen to Americans, and gauge support for a potential presidential candidacy,” reads a description on the organization’s website.Graham has previously indicated his interested in a presidential run and announced several weeks ago that he intended to launch a formal committee. His most vocal backer has been Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a close friend who has openly encouraged him to make a bid.
However you may feel about Senator Graham threatening us with a presidential run, he’s at least living up to the name of his committee by hawking out on issues relating to national security. In a recent interview on the Mike Gallagher Show, Graham lashed out against the Administration’s decision to release Gitmo prisoners, and gave us a teaser of what wartime under President Graham might look like.
You can listen to the interview here, via Mediaite.
Appearing on The Mike Gallagher Show on Monday, the possible presidential candidate…said he wouldn’t release Gitmo prisoners back to the Taliban, even if it freed up a Medal of Honor recipient.The comments referred to how, in May 2014, the Obama administration freed five Taliban members detained at Gitmo in exchange for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has repeatedly been accused of deserting his post and causing his own capture.“I would not have done this swap for a Medal of Honor winner,” Graham pointedly said. “The end-of-hostilities argument doesn’t make sense here,” he added, referring to the administration’s claims that the war against Taliban forces has ended.“The war is not over,” Graham repeatedly said.
I’m going to come out and shock the world by saying that I’m skeptical about this presidential run. The field is already so crowded, and I’m not seeing a distinctive hook that will set Graham apart from the pack. That being said, I think someone willing to be hawkish and outspoken about the Administration’s terrible foreign policy is going to be an incredible asset as we move closer to Decision 2016 (Republican edition.) These issues need to be talked about, and too often, candidates sidestep them in favor of hitting topics that lie closer to home.
If Graham gets both voters and candidates talking about the complete 180 our next president needs to pull when it comes to foreign policy, I think I’ll allow him a small chunk of the limelight.
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