Lindsay Graham on Syria, Libya and Afghanistan

If you wonder what a political leader might sound like, I offer Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman as examples. 

·         Both men are outspoken but very rarely partisan.

·         They speak to inform and not to inflame.

·         They respect facts and avoid reciting the Party line.

·         They speak about subjects in which they have immersed themselves and are silent about other controversies.

·         Informed observers are occasionally surprised by a position they take and are sometimes persuaded.

·         They are anything but Party-purists and can frequently be seen working with the political opposition.

·         They are sometimes in existential trouble with their own Party but not with the majority of their constituencies.

Contrast these attributes with those of say, Senator Jim DeMint, Senator "Rick" Santorum, former Senators Clinton and Obama or President Obama.

I would also offer this short but compelling interview with Senator Graham on Face the Nation this week.

Face the Nation – CBS, 6/12/11  -  6 minutes

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7369794n&tag=contentMain;contentBody

I don’t know how you feel about our various wars and the threat of additional interventions – personally, I am sometimes confused and often conflicted.  But Graham has been steadfast in his informed views and equally steadfast in his advice to and support of the Obama Administration as well as their predecessors.  Listen to this short interview but listen carefully.

This is what I take away from the piece:

1.      We should not tolerate enemy safe havens and IED factories in Pakistan – these elements are killing our people.  We should use troops as well as drones to destroy enemy camps and factories.  The Pakistani military should be forced to choose sides.

2.      He says we can reduce troops in Afghanistan now and replace ourselves with Afghani security forces by the end of 2014 because our training efforts are working.

3.      Graham supports the intervention in Libya and says it is past time to line up Libyan-like support from NATO and the region against Assad in Syria.  He says we should threaten Libyan-like intervention there.

Wow – that is a load to think about.