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DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Tue Jan 29, 2013, 10:46 PM Jan 2013

Lindsey Graham hits bottom


He claims Hillary Clinton “got away with murder” in Benghazi while blocking immigration rights for same-sex couples

BY JOAN WALSH


Oh, that Lindsey Graham, that formerly moderate, mavericky senator from South Carolina. Only a day ago he was among eight senators who seemed to be defying the Tea Party gridlock of the last four years, joining together to back a “framework” for comprehensive immigration reform. Now he’s threatening to kill any legislation that includes protections for same-sex couples, growling to reporters, “Why don’t we just put legalized abortion in there and round it all out?”

Good one!

An irritated Sen. John McCain, who’s now spent a full 24 hours looking like someone we haven’t seen in at least six years, shot back, “We haven’t even gotten that far yet. This is thrown out by the people who think we have gotten into the details, which we haven’t.”

Um, “thrown out by the people who think we have gotten into the details”? One of those people is one of your seven Senate partners, Sen. McCain.

That’s not the only crackpot Tea Party talking point from Graham over the last day. He also claimed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “got away with murder” on Benghazi, and threatened to put a hold on former Sen. Chuck Hagel’s nomination as defense secretary because … well, there’s no connection between Hagel and Benghazi. Graham says he’s mad that outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta hasn’t yet answered his questions about the Sept. 11 attack, so he’ll block Hagel, whom he’s already attacked as anti-Israel, which would seem to have nothing to do with Benghazi.

more:
http://www.salon.com/2013/01/29/lindsey_graham_hits_bottom/
39 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Lindsey Graham hits bottom (Original Post) DonViejo Jan 2013 OP
Qick someone send him a passie. That will shut his whiney mouth. southernyankeebelle Jan 2013 #1
I Think They're Taking Him out of Context dballance Jan 2013 #2
He said it, he owns it... DonViejo Jan 2013 #3
That makes us no better than them dballance Jan 2013 #4
Nonsense. Lindsey's comment is quoted in complete DonViejo Jan 2013 #7
Nope, and I'm wondering why this false equivalency. freshwest Jan 2013 #16
100% agree n/t Inuca Jan 2013 #23
+1 Dawson Leery Jan 2013 #5
He owns it because it really was an abysmally thoughtless way of saying it karynnj Jan 2013 #20
Since the GOP has been pursuing this with prosecutorial zeal for months... CBHagman Jan 2013 #6
+1 ^^^^^^^ nt DonViejo Jan 2013 #8
It's Highly Possible it's a meme they wanted to start w/ regards to her interrogation (Testimony) dballance Jan 2013 #10
Hillary Clinton got away with murder, in my view. frylock Jan 2013 #9
I Believe if You'll Read my Post which is #2 I Already Did dballance Jan 2013 #11
what you've offered is your OPINION on what you BELIEVE he meant frylock Jan 2013 #22
Both Graham and McGrumpy should have went to the Briefing on Benghazi . . . brush Jan 2013 #12
YES! reverend_tim Jan 2013 #26
Can't get the Stephen Colbert quote out of my head...how Hillary got emotional, and left with libdem4life Jan 2013 #13
He probably meant it figuratively speaking. Beacool Jan 2013 #14
Is Graham Jewish? rgbecker Jan 2013 #15
He loves pork Brother Buzz Jan 2013 #17
Huh? Iggo Feb 2013 #33
Huh? Iggo Feb 2013 #32
Google... Jesus Bucky Feb 2013 #34
If he'd actually hit a bottom, he'd probably not be such an asshole. Fawke Em Jan 2013 #18
Right on. butterflygirl Jan 2013 #19
Scrolled all the way down to your post to find the double entendre... pink-o Feb 2013 #30
Can't the Senate censure Graham? How many votes are needed? FSogol Jan 2013 #21
he would have to dig up, to hit bottom... Dan Jan 2013 #24
Lindsey probably prefers it the other way around... JaneQPublic Jan 2013 #25
Wow. Iggo Feb 2013 #35
I wonder if Graham got the news report 26 people died in Newtown, CT Thinkingabout Jan 2013 #27
Election Coming Up Next Year! moman Jan 2013 #28
The context of politics polynomial Feb 2013 #29
Another idiot. Little Lindsey is afraid of the teabaggers!! Whimp!! Filibuster Harry Feb 2013 #31
...hits bottom--and keeps sinking..... lastlib Feb 2013 #36
Graham is basically scum Rosa Luxemburg Feb 2013 #37
I always assumed that he was Tom Ripley Feb 2013 #38
No, he hasn't. Trust me. GoCubsGo Feb 2013 #39
 

dballance

(5,756 posts)
2. I Think They're Taking Him out of Context
Tue Jan 29, 2013, 10:57 PM
Jan 2013

Here is the full context of the comment. I think he was referring to her testimony. Certainly it may have been a poor choice of wording and he might have made it more clear by ending the sentence with "...in her testimony" rather than assuming people would infer that's what he meant given it was so close to his prior sentence.

I can't stand Graham, but I didn't like it when the GOP similarly took Obama out of context on "You didn't build that" so I don't want to be a hypocrite and do it to them no matter how satisfying it may feel.

Van Susteren: Senator Hagel has been nominated by the president to be the new secretary of defense. How are you going to vote on that one?

Graham: It will depend on what he says at the hearing Thursday. But the one thing I'm not gonna do is vote on a new secretary of defense until the old secretary of defense, Leon Panetta, who I like very much, testifies about what happened in Benghazi. I haven't forgotten about what happened in Benghazi. Hillary Clinton got away with murder, in my view. She said they had a clear-eyes view of the threats. How can they have a clear-eyes view of the threats in Benghazi when you didn't know about the Ambassador's cable coming back?

 

dballance

(5,756 posts)
4. That makes us no better than them
Tue Jan 29, 2013, 11:08 PM
Jan 2013

The only reason it got traction is because it makes a great, sensationalist headline that will drive ratings and web traffic.

DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
7. Nonsense. Lindsey's comment is quoted in complete
Tue Jan 29, 2013, 11:18 PM
Jan 2013

context; if he didn't mean it literally, it's on him to own the words and apologize for them. Democrats are not obligated to start tsk, tsking and offering up excuses for him and/or them.

karynnj

(59,475 posts)
20. He owns it because it really was an abysmally thoughtless way of saying it
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 09:35 AM
Jan 2013

In context, it is clear that he is using the phrase "got away with murder" to mean that she was not held to account. Had they been speaking of something that did not involve the deaths of people, this would have been understood in the colloquial way he likely meant. The problem is that people died -- and others to the right of Graham have said it was her fault. This makes his comment ambiguous. Is he going further than the far right and not just saying she was negligent, but saying it was murder, which would mean intent? I seriously doubt that. Or was he just using a common colloquial phrase when he clearly should have known better?

(Even not held to account ignores 5 hours of testimony.)

CBHagman

(16,968 posts)
6. Since the GOP has been pursuing this with prosecutorial zeal for months...
Tue Jan 29, 2013, 11:16 PM
Jan 2013

...I don't buy it that nuance even matters here. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if the use of the phrase "got away with murder" owed less to Graham speaking off the cuff than it did to trotting out a prearranged phrase.

This is not the GOP being gosh-darn sincere. It's about getting the administration and, by extension, Democrats.

 

dballance

(5,756 posts)
10. It's Highly Possible it's a meme they wanted to start w/ regards to her interrogation (Testimony)
Tue Jan 29, 2013, 11:38 PM
Jan 2013

But I still believe he meant it with respect to her testimony. Although the GOP is flat out stupid I have my doubts they'd really want to call the most popular SoS in recent history a murderer and flat out say she "murdered" Ambassador Stevens and 3 other Americans in Bhengazi.

Some Dem with a spine needs to stand up on one of these shows and point out there were more than 50 attacks on US consulates and Embassies while W. was in office and there was no media coverage and no hearings about any of them.

Oh, if it was a meme they wanted to start they really blew it. Just like with McShame's and Rant Paul's questioning I'd bet Graham has helped to add points to Hilary's approval rating.

 

dballance

(5,756 posts)
11. I Believe if You'll Read my Post which is #2 I Already Did
Tue Jan 29, 2013, 11:39 PM
Jan 2013

Or are you going to play McCain and say my answers are unsatisfactory?

frylock

(34,825 posts)
22. what you've offered is your OPINION on what you BELIEVE he meant
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 12:31 PM
Jan 2013

when he said "Hillary Clinton got away with murder, in my view." if you want to defend this fool, then knock yourself out. democrats should be very vocal in their condemnation of this idiot and his choice of words.

brush

(53,475 posts)
12. Both Graham and McGrumpy should have went to the Briefing on Benghazi . . .
Tue Jan 29, 2013, 11:48 PM
Jan 2013

weeks ago instead of grandstanding in front of cameras to trash Susan Rice. If they had their questions to Panetta would have been answered. John Kerry just gave that same advice to (I forget his name) who tried the same BS tactic with Hillary last week.

 

libdem4life

(13,877 posts)
13. Can't get the Stephen Colbert quote out of my head...how Hillary got emotional, and left with
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 12:07 AM
Jan 2013

their balls in her briefcase, loosely translated.

Fawke Em

(11,366 posts)
18. If he'd actually hit a bottom, he'd probably not be such an asshole.
Wed Jan 30, 2013, 09:09 AM
Jan 2013

Come out, Lindsey. You'll feel much better.

pink-o

(4,056 posts)
30. Scrolled all the way down to your post to find the double entendre...
Fri Feb 1, 2013, 05:25 PM
Feb 2013

I would've posted it, but I figured someone beat me to the punch!

But y'all realize, Lindsay would never "hit bottom". He's gotta BE a bottom.

Thinkingabout

(30,058 posts)
27. I wonder if Graham got the news report 26 people died in Newtown, CT
Thu Jan 31, 2013, 06:04 PM
Jan 2013

He must have ignored it or failed to listen to the report and what is he doing trying to keep weapons of war and high capacity magazines and clips on the market. This is something we can hold him and others nit willing to stand up to the NRA and get these weapons off the market. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!

moman

(73 posts)
28. Election Coming Up Next Year!
Thu Jan 31, 2013, 06:59 PM
Jan 2013

Graham always plays this game with an election near.The Nuts who run the Republican cult down here in SC call him a "moderate(gasp!) or their favorite,a RINO.So he spouts off a bunch of Right Wing BS and plays the race card a Little bit and the good ol bos are singing his praises again!

polynomial

(750 posts)
29. The context of politics
Fri Feb 1, 2013, 02:30 PM
Feb 2013

To begin many know the University system is prolific with fraternities and Graham belonged to one of those, Pi Kappa Phi, which has the star and the lamp as icon symbols on their coats of arms. From my view that context seems reasonable for the star perhaps it’s Jewish, and lamp looks very Arabic. Does that mean Graham is fond of Jews or of Arabs? That should be a hard laugh and giggle.

Think about it, College students learn to join a union from the start, they call it a fraternity, of which many are tax deductible, those 501 c things, but in fraternities in college they get money for research that could impact national standards or advance their personal achievements let say in the electronics or biomedical sciences.

Heck millions are spent by the Army, Navy, Air force for advanced secret research stuff Americans don’t even see. Being able to participate in serious studies would be a cool thing to be able to get into, though the insiders have been doing that for decades. Or think about these state universities are subsidized by public taxes. Perhaps our taxes find a way to Lindsey’s old university.

Then we hear personal crap in public interviews that violate the basic mission statement of Graham’s fraternity it wreaks in the stench of decadence in poor leadership. Besides, Lindsey always condemning unions, but paying due when he belonged to a union/ fraternity.

Or, endorsing fatalism by speaking up for automatic weapons where women should use machine guns to protect themselves. Lindsey Olin Graham is loaded with leadership that promotes a sick society. Ladies and Gentlemen of America what we need is dialog that does not need women to have to use a machine gun to protect herself. America does not need to resort in torture to gain victory in a war. War is ugly enough torturing to succeed is a failed culture.

lastlib

(22,981 posts)
36. ...hits bottom--and keeps sinking.....
Sat Feb 2, 2013, 06:48 PM
Feb 2013

there's no depth this side of hell that that POS won't sink to....

GoCubsGo

(32,061 posts)
39. No, he hasn't. Trust me.
Mon Feb 4, 2013, 10:48 AM
Feb 2013

This assclown was my congressman, and is now one of my two senators. There is no "bottom" with this jerk.

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