During an appearance on Meet the Press Sunday, frequent Sunday show guest Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) reiterated his previous claim that the policies of President Obama was “getting people killed.” When host Chuck Todd provided him an opportunity to walk back his previous statements about the White House in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack, Graham instead doubled down on his harsh rhetoric and once again attacked the President. Specifically, Graham blamed Obama for the deaths that have occurred in the Syrian civil war and stated the release of prisoners from Guantanamo Bay would make things worse in the world.
Early on in their conversation, Graham tossed in his typical fearmongering about radical Islamic terrorism, making the claim that “there are more Parises coming” unless we fully engage ISIL in a large-scale war in the Middle East.
The answer now is to deny ISIL the safe haven they enjoy in Syria and Iraq because it is a platform to strike the United States. There are more Parises coming until you disrupt this network. There are more terrorist organizations with more safe havens, with more capability to hit the homeland than before 9/11. The answer is to form a regional coalition, America has to be part of it, go in underground, and get these guys out of Syria. The current strategy is failing.
After making those remarks, Graham was confronted by Todd about his previous statements regarding Obama’s policies. Shortly after the Paris attack, Graham made the media rounds (natch) and told both Fox News and CNN that the White House’s current foreign policy was “getting a lot of people killed.” Todd asked Graham if this was “proper rhetoric” and if he really believed Obama is “getting people killed?” Unsurprisingly, Graham not only stood by his comments, but once again attacked POTUS.
I think his policies are getting people killed. I think sound military advice was given to the president to leave a residual force in Iraq and he turned it down. And as a result, Iraq has collapsed. … Almost 300,000 people have been killed in Syria on his watch. Syria, the worst is yet to come. … Hell on earth is about to descend upon Syria and it matters to us. … Letting people out of Gitmo in this environment, I think is irresponsible. So yes, his campaign promises should be adjusted based on reality.
Below is video of the interview segment, courtesy of NBC:
This has been standard operating procedure for Graham and his best bud Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) since the President first walked into the Oval Office. No matter what is happening in the world, the first and only response they want is an immediate military action. If President Obama decides against sending troops somewhere, or getting involved in an indefinite war with no actual mission, then he is labeled “weak” or “timid”.
Of course, as we come to the end of Obama’s second term, it appears that Graham is using inflammatory rhetoric for more reasons than just to rip Obama. As he told Todd on Sunday, he is “testing the waters” for a White House run in 2016. Why? Because the “world is falling apart” and he’s been “more right than wrong when it comes to foreign policy.”
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