Graham launching 2016 White House bid to ‘defeat the enemies trying to kill us’

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The Hill:

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) will launch his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Monday, vowing to strengthen the nation through a muscular foreign policy.

 

“I want to be president to defeat the enemies trying to kill us, not just penalize them or criticize them or contain them, but defeat them,” Graham will say from his home town of Central, S.C., according to remarks provided by his political team.

“Ronald Reagan’s policy of ‘peace through strength’ kept America safe during the Cold War,” Graham will say. “But we will never enjoy peaceful co-existence with radical Islam because its followers are committed to destroying us and our way of life. However, America can have ‘security through strength.’ ”

 

Graham is one of the foremost national security hawks in the GOP and is running almost exclusively on his foreign policy bona fides. His announcement comes against the backdrop of a bitter, high-stakes battle in the Senate over reforming the National Security Agency.

 

Lawmakers returned to Washington on Sunday in a last-ditch effort to prevent parts of the Patriot Act from expiring, but opposition from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), another Republican presidential hopeful, has forced measures to lapse.

 

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Lindsey Graham could be the South Carolina spoiler

 

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., may hope his presidential campaign spoils Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul's chances of holding higher office, but he could unintentionally disrupt former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's performance in the Palmetto State.

To listen to Graham tell it, the person most surprised by his decision to run for president may have been Lindsey Graham. While he appears to relish his status as an underdog, his penchant for challenging the libertarian wing of his own party and omnipresence on political talk shows could magnify his campaign. It's still early, but Graham's success could spell bad news for Bush.

 

Graham will likely lock down voters who would otherwise support Bush, according to Dave Woodard, a South Carolina GOP consultant who counts Graham as a former client alongside fellow South Carolinians such as Rep. Trey Gowdy and former Sen. Jim DeMint."I think it's hard to say right now, but he's probably pulling from Jeb Bush the most," Woodard said. "If he were to drop out today, I think most of the voters go to Jeb Bush."

 

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/can-graham-be-the-skunk-at-jebs-party/article/2565400