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Longtime Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who served South Carolina in the U.S. Senate since 2003, passed away Saturday evening after suffering an aortic dissection. He was 71.
Many have publicly mourned the passing of Senator Graham.
One tribute that stood out came from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said: “Israel has lost one of the great champions of the American-Israeli alliance, and frankly, I’ve lost a beloved friend. He was an incredible patriot for America.”
If Graham was indeed a true “patriot of America” and put the United States first, would Netanyahu have such kind words for him?
And then there’s Adam Schiff, who wrote, “What I’ll remember most about Senator Graham was his sense of humor and how he deployed it to move his policy positions forward.”
Most would agree that there was nothing humorous when it came to Graham’s policy positions, and one man’s direct response to Schiff’s post brings this to light: “What I’ll remember most about Senator Graham is how he sent my friends to die in an unnecessary war in Iraq.”
Trump also publicly paid his respects: “Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead!”
Strange… Trump’s condolences don’t exactly line up with his past public criticism of Graham. At one point, he said: “Senator Lindsey Graham should spend more time focusing on all of the many people being killed because of our now non-existent Border, and the millions of people dying in senseless, never-ending wars that he constantly favors and promotes.”
Although many have expressed sorrow over his death, much of the conversation online has been celebratory.
Now, they say it’s not polite to dance on someone’s grave, but what if the person in that grave seemed to spend much of their career putting others in theirs? Because to many of his critics, that’s exactly what his decades in office amounted to.
A testament to this is that it’s clear Graham has never met a war he didn’t like, and he championed other people’s sons and daughters going to war with such unbridled enthusiasm: “I go back to S.C., and I’m asking them to send their sons and daughters over to the Middle East. To all the isolationists: I’m not with you, I’m with Israel. God bless Israel. We should move all of our stuff to Israel.”
Statements like this lead people to believe Lindsey Graham was a warmonger with no respect for human life.
Those weren’t isolated statements, either.
At a speech Graham gave at the Republican Jewish Coalition in 2025, he boasted, “I feel good about where we are going in this nation. We are killing all the right people and cutting your taxes,” as the audience laughed and cheered.
During an interview with journalist Hadley Gamble, Graham was told that many people believe what happened in Gaza does not align with Christian values, citing the killing of children, mothers, and families, as well as the flattening of Gaza. His response? “My view, if I were Israel, I would have probably done it the same way.”
And when the war on Iran first began, Graham had this to say: “When this regime goes down, we are going to have a new Middle East, and we are going to make a tonne of money.” Yeah, but at whose expense? The sons and daughters who were sent there to die?
Then there was this unbelievable remark: “The Russians are dying. Best money we ever spent.”
Taken together, these statements paint the picture of someone who seemed obsessed with war on many levels.
In fact, the very day before his death, he was touring Ukraine’s SkyFall, where Vampire heavy bomber drones were on display before use. Weapons likely to be used to kill Russian civilians.
Perhaps it’s becoming easier to understand why so many people aren’t mourning the loss of this man, but instead celebrating the end of his influence.
But will this type of influence truly die with Graham? Or will another warmonger fill his shoes in the Senate? This raises another question. What about Mitch McConnell’s seat? He’s been absent from the Senate since June 14, and there’s no guarantee he’ll return.
Will voters get actual choices for these important seats, or are things being hidden from us?
If history is any guide, Washington will quickly find someone else who shares Graham’s worldview to carry the torch.