By Bob Gatty
When Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) was running against Donald Trump along with a bunch of other candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, he said Trump was “a kook” and the “world’s greatest jackass,” among other crazy comments that got him plenty of TV airtime.
Back then, he was best friends, supposedly, with the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who Trump said was not a hero because he had been captured.
You have to wonder what McCain would say today about Graham’s absolute turnaround from the guy who said Trump had perpetuated a giant con job on the GOP to Trump’s apologist-in-chief and apparently best golf buddy.
With Graham, it seems that his moral compass is simply defined by any way the wind blows.
In South Carolina, Trump remains popular among Republicans who have controlled the state politically for years. So, Graham is no dummy, he spouts what he thinks they want to hear.
Here’s a look at some of his comments then and now:
Sen. Lindsey Graham…then:
- “You know how to make America great again? Tell Donald Trump to go to hell.”
- “Donald Trump is the most unelectable Republican I’ve seen in my lifetime.”
- “He is not fit to be President of the United States.”
- “The Republican Party has been conned here.”
- “You don’t have to run for president to be the world’s greatest jackass.”
- “He’s a kook. I think he’s crazy.”
- “I don’t believe he’s a Republican, and his policies are really bad for the country.”
- “Trump’s policies are a complete disaster.”
On the Clinton impeachment:
- “You don’t even have to be convicted of a crime to lose your job in this constitutional republic. If this body determines that as a public official your conduct was clearly out of bounds in your role.
- “Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham…now:
- No, I don’t think he’s a xenophobic, race-baiting, religious bigot.”
- “What burns me about the American press is this endless, endless attempt to label the guy as some kind of kook not fit to be president.”
- “I want to help our president, Donald Trump, be as successful as possible because, number one, I agree with him mostly,”
- “I want to help him. I hope he’s successful.”
- “I think this strike was a game changer. There’s a new sheriff in town.”
- “What Trump has done is historic…he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.”
- “If you don’t like me working with President Trump to make the world a better place, I don’t give a (bleep).”
On the Trump impeachment:
- “To impeach a president over a phone call like this would be completely insane.”
Where is this man’s moral compass? Guess it’s just any way the wind blows.
