And so.
A mere two days after his 71st birthday, South Carolina’s Senator Lindsey Graham has moved on to heaven’s Senate.
To say the least, the senator’s out-of-the-blue and quite sudden death has shocked. Shocked and saddened, both political allies and opponents.
A mark of just how well-liked and respected he was came from this one-time opponent — President Trump. Said the president: “He was always working, and was a true American Patriot,” the president posted, calling the senator “one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known.”
The presidential tribute was particularly notable as Trump and Graham had once been political rivals when the two opposed each other during the 2016 GOP presidential primaries.
In this press account discussing the relationship of the two, Graham’s recalling of his relationship with the president went this way:
During and after a brief presidential run in 2016, Graham sparred with the president, writing on Twitter, “If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed … and we will deserve it.”
After Trump was elected for his first term and the two met, however, Graham grew to become one of the president’s staunchest allies, supporting his initiatives and defending him during controversies. The two golfed together and spoke frequently.
Graham explained this change in a 2018 interview with the Associated Press, saying former Sen. John McCain taught him that the country must move forward after elections and that “you have an obligation” to help the president.
McCain’s message got through to Graham. Again, it was this: “the country must move forward after elections and that ‘you have an obligation’ to help the president.”
Exactly. And safe to say, Senator Graham, both got the message and took it to heart.
Notably, Senator McCain’s daughter Meghan McCain took an emotional take on the passing of her father’s dear friend in an episode of Citizen McCain with Meghan McCain on 2WAY. (The opener is here.)
Along the way, I had the opportunity to meet Senator Graham. He was decidedly open in discussing his views of both President Trump and the state of the GOP. To say the least, the senator who was once a Trump opponent had become a friend and supporter.
It should also be noted that Senator Graham had become what can truly be called a “Senator’s Senator.”
Having (in the long ago!) worked in the Senate (for Pennsylvania’s senior senator, John Heinz), I can attest that the United States Senate is every bit the “Club” that has been frequently mentioned over the years. There are, in a country of hundreds of millions, a mere 100 members. All representing their states and their own beliefs that they campaigned on.
President John F. Kennedy, himself a former senator, wrote his best-selling book Profiles in Courage of United States Senators who were fearless when standing up for principle and core beliefs. That was Senator Graham to a tee. Yes, he once opposed President Trump and was not afraid to say so. But over time, he changed his mind and, remarkably, became a Trump ally. To say the least, the senator had political courage in spades.
Safe to say, Senator Graham will be missed. He was a seriously good United States senator. A role model indeed for future U.S. senators. The word is that his staff is inconsolable, and having been there for a senator who passed way too soon (Senator Heinz passed in a plane crash), I understand.
It is safe to say that time moves on for everyone. And now it was Senator Graham’s. But behind him, the senator leaves as a role model for both senators and staffers.
And a considerable role model he was.
READ MORE from Jeffrey Lord:
Graham Platner Never Read Sun Tzu
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