A great question to ponder for historians once the emotions and dust settle.
There’s a part of me which actually liked Lindsey Graham before his toxic flip-flop on what Donald Trump did just before, during, and after January 6th.
If you remove that act of ego and political cowardice… I could make the defense of Lindsey Graham as being a substantial figure in American politics these past twenty-five to thirty years or so.
His life resume is impreesive. At the age of 19 he adopted his then 13 year-old younger sister after both of their parents died within a period of 15-months.
He graduated from law school, and while in the Air Force became a JAG. His Air Force career spanned 33 years as he rose to the rank of colonel. After his retirement from the Air Force…he became a member of the Air Force Reserve.
He never married.
He became the Republican whom succeeded Strom Thurmond in bright-red South Carolina. He was elected to four terms as a United States senator and would have been elected to a fifth term if he had felt inclined after his current term expired.
Lindsey Graham was one of the Three Amigos along with John McCain and Joe Lieberman. Together, they formed what I would describe as a pragmatic threesome of United States senators who didn’t always follow rigid party lines. They were self described maveriks, buts always Americans first.
So far so good with Lindsey Graham as far as I’m concerned..
In 2016…Lindsey Graham ran for the GOP Presidential nomination. Despite being qualified and funny and glib at times…Lindsey Graham never even made it to the first team tier of candidates in that presidential run.
During his brief candidacy, he stated point blank …”Donald Trump was not fit as a human being to hold the office.”
Yet because of his political ego and desire to be in the limelight as a person of genuine influence ‘In the Room’ so to speak… he unfortunately strayed from his intial statements of Donald Trump.
Some have called him the Trump Whisperer…that’s too kind. What he became in fact was Donald Trump’s No. 1 enabler even ahead in line of the likes of Tucker Carlson, Ted Cruz, Sean Hannity, Ted Cruz, and even our own Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma.
His flip-flop on January 6th is the single act though which causes me to seriously downgrade Lindsey Graham’s rightful place as a very good United States senator and an American with a great individual story with a substantial place in our history books..
On that flip-flop alone as a historian …I would downgrade Lindsey Graham from a grade of an A to perhaps a C-.
Maybe that’s too harsh. Maybe with time I’ll lessen with the feeling he helped someone who should have been sentenced to a felony conviction for January 6th..to instead a second term as president.
Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon, but he also ended Nixon’s career in American politics.
I wonder what John McCain and Joe Lieberman would think of my evaluation of Lindsey Graham’s political legacy?
In closing, this Sunday was to be Lindsey Graham’s 64th appearance on Meet the Press. Only John McCain made more appearances on MTP. Think about that.
But in closing, then ask yoirself…if Lindsey Graham hadn’t become Donald Trump’s chief enabler would any of us even be talking about either one of them on July 12, 2026?
I don’t think so.
Linsdey Graham didn’t do what Gerald Ford did in 1974, and for that lack of courage our country is staggering through a second presidential term six years after January 6th. Because now Donald is not only unfit, but too old to occupy the office.
It’s a strong C- though.
Mike Jackson