Prof. ST Hsieh
Director, US-China Energy Industry Forum
626-376-7460
October 15, 2023
Senator Lindsey Graham has been in public service for more than 30 years and he is 68 years old now. The current Senate’s median age, on the other hand, is 65.3 years, so Senator Graham has passed his prime. In fact, he and many of his cohorts should consider handing the baton to younger generations as soon as possible. Do something that is really good for the nation!
We respect freedom of speech, but some senators’ statements are out of line and often become embarrassments for the US as a nation. The US is trying hard to stay on the top of the world and enhance the global image of the nation. The US is already beleaguered by the polarized bipartisan politics that frequently threatens the nation with federal government shutdowns, weeks without a Speaker of the House that freezes the federal government indefinitely. It is not productive for any US senator to make public statements that even many of his fellow Americans consider self-serving or grandstanding. The following are quotes from public comments on Senator Graham’s statements on the dangerous Israel-Arab war.
#Thank you Senator for volunteering to lead our forces into battle. Tis your candor to not only talk the talk but walk the walk that will lead the free world to victory! Looking forward to the many social media pics of you soldiered up AK locked and loaded.
#is he allowed to say that? …sounds like he’s breaking the ‘stay in your lane’
#I noticed he said “we”, so is he signing up? Hush Linda.
#We? Lead by example – go yourself.
#Naw, he’ll be running to his safe room when it starts.
Graham to Iran: ‘If you escalate the war, we’re coming for you’
Kelly Garrity
Sun, October 15, 2023 at 8:21 AM PDT
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) threatened Iran on Sunday, calling the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah “a proxy of Iran” and warning that Iran would face consequences should Hezbollah escalate the tense situation along Israel’s northern border.
“If Hezbollah, which is a proxy of Iran, launches a massive attack on Israel, I would consider that a threat to the State of Israel, existential in nature,” Graham said Sunday during an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press.
“I will introduce a resolution in the United States Senate to allow military action by the United States in conjunction with Israel to knock Iran out of the oil business,” he said. “Iran, if you escalate this war, we’re coming for you.”
Graham, a longtime foreign policy hawk, also called the idea that Iran was not involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel’s southern border “laughable.” Iranian officials commended Hamas’ operation, but initially denied involvement in the attack.
U.S. and Israeli officials have also said they are unsure if Iran was involved in the attack, but a spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces told POLITICO they were “100 percent sure that the Iranians were not surprised,” by the attack.
Hezbollah fighters had killed at least one person and wounded three others in a missile strike on an Israeli northern border village Sunday, the militant group and Israeli medics said according to Reuters.
Graham: I’m ‘poised to use military force’ to cut off Iranian funding for Hamas and Hezbollah
NBC
Sun, October 15, 2023 at 6:40 AM PDT
During an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) addresses his comments about “holding Iran accountable” to avoid escalating the Israel-Hamas war.