A Graham But Not Some Cracker
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is both intriguing and unpredictable
Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, seems to be just about everywhere these days. By 4 p.m. one recent Tuesday, the boyish-looking conservative had already led a Republican meeting on a detainee agreement he helped broker, held two press conferences, gone to a hearing on judicial nominations, and conducted several media interviews.
He wasn't always this popular. In fact, Graham has had more than a few moments of loneliness-his parents died when he was in college. But in the four short years he has been in the Senate, this independent-minded military lawyer has quickly become a key player-known both for his willingness to challenge the Bush administration and his ability to work across the aisle. This mix of talents has won him a host of admirers, some of whom think he might someday be presidential timber, as well as a few grumbles from conservatives back home.
Graham insists he's not a maverick, though that term has often stuck to him. Instead, he says, he's just applying life lessons to politics. "I constantly try to prevent myself from getting in a comfort zone of political decision making that would take off the table a boldness that I think our country needs," says Graham.
Breaking ranks. Recently, Graham, 51, has been front and center in the debate over the treatment of suspected terrorists. Graham's 22 years as a reserve Air Force lawyer has put him at odds with the Bush administration over the issue. And he often breaks ranks with Republicans on other subjects too, from Medicare to Social Security. On immigration, he supported President Bush's plan for a guest-worker program, which has angered many House conservatives. But make no mistake, Graham is not a moderate. The American Conservative Union gave him a 96 percent rating for his 2005 voting record; as a House member, he helped lead the drive to impeach President Bill Clinton.
All this has kept his constituents pretty happy. Since filling the late Sen. Strom Thurmond's shoes four years ago, Graham, a Baptist who has never married, has scored approval ratings between 65 and 70 percent. "South Carolinians generally like that he's independent ... and he doesn't lose touch with the little person," says Cole Blease Graham Jr. (no relation), a University of South Carolina political science professor.
Some of that popularity stems from the fact Graham never seems to forget where he came from. He was raised in the back room of a restaurant/bar that his parents ran in the small textile mill town of Central. He was often in charge of the pool hall downstairs. "When you own a bar," he says, "you learn a lot about people."
After Graham's parents died while he was attending the University of South Carolina, his 13-year-old sister went to live with an aunt and uncle, and Graham visited her on weekends. Once Graham finished law school, he legally adopted the sister and joined the Air Force as a judge advocate. He gained notoriety for a case involving drug testing that made the Air Force stop using a flawed urinalysis program. He later transferred to Germany to work as a military prosecutor.
advertisement
