Editing Lindsey Graham

== On Climate Change ==
Graham has a mixed record on climate change. He admits it's real, but has made some public statements that call into question his commitment to addressing climate change. 

"The science about global warming has changed. I think they've oversold this stuff, quite frankly. I think they've been alarmist and the science is in question. The whole movement has taken a giant step backward...The public acceptance about global warming has changed." 2010 [[http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/06/graham-takes-climate-denial-plunge]]

"It makes sense to me that the planet is heating up because you can measure heat. It's not a stretch to say that what goes into the air is contributing to global warming, but I don't want to be in the camp that says I know people in Northern Virginia will never see snow. At the end of the day, I think carbon pollution is worthy of being controlled, whether you believe in global warming or not. I do believe that all the CO2 gases, greenhouse gases from cars, trucks, and utility plants is not making us a healthier place, is not making our society better, and it's coming at the expense of our national security and our economic prosperity. So put me in the camp that it's worthy to clean up the air and make money doing so. This idea that carbon's good for you. I want that debate. There's a wing of our party who thinks carbon pollution is okay. I'm not in that wing." 2010 [[http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/06/graham-takes-climate-denial-plunge]]

Other statements indicate Graham's seriousness about the issue of climate change. In 2015 he said: "Here’s a question you need to ask everybody running as a Republican: What is the environmental policy of the Republican policy? When I ask that question, I get a blank stare.” He added: "f I’m president of the United States, we’re going to address climate change, CO2 emissions in a business-friendly way,” the South Carolina senator said. “I do believe that climate change is real.”[[http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/graham-urges-action-on-climate-change-118709.html]]

== On the Iraq War ==
In the lead-up to the Iraq War, Graham said of Saddam Hussein: “He is lying, Tim, when he says he doesn’t have weapons of mass destruction. For 12 years now, we’ve been playing this game, trying to get this man to part with his weapons of mass destruction.” 2003 [http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynski/the-time-john-mccain-and-lindsey-graham-relayed-ba#.qdPeQ15jp]]

When asked by Wolf Blitzer on CNN whether the Iraq War was a mistake, Graham responded: "No. I don't think so. I think at the end of the day, if I know now, then what I know now, a land invasion may not have been the right answer, but Saddam Hussein was firing at American planes patrolling Iraqi skies under international law. He was denying U.N. weapons inspectors access to sites where we thought there would be weapons of mass destruction. He was killing his own people ... To those who think this is a temporary problem or that we brought this upon ourselves you don't know what you're talking about." 

Blitzer responded by saying that Hussein had nothing to do with 9/11, to which Graham replied: "Well, he had a lot to do in terms of destabilizing the region. He had invaded his neighbor (Kuwait), he was violating U.N. mandates about inspecting sites as part of the ending the first Gulf War, he was shooting at American aircraft patrolling the skies over Iraq as part of a no-fly zone, he was gassings the Kurds. I am glad he is gone. At the end of the day, I blame President Obama for the mess in Iraq and Syria, not President Bush." 2015 [[http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/05/18/lindsey_graham_iraq_was_not_a_mistake_obama_not_bush_to_blame_for_current_mess_in_iraq_and_syria.html]]

Graham has also said that the Iraq War was “an opportunity to demonstrate to the Arab world and others that the rule of law matters.” 2004 [[http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/16/us/struggle-for-iraq-south-carolina-senator-senator-s-pointed-questions-get-heart.html]]

"I am very proud of what we have been able to accomplish in Iraq and I am very sad that we made so many mistakes on the way. We never had enough troops, we were stubborn about adjusting our policies on the ground but we finally did." 
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRI_hbPNui8]

== On ISIL ==
At a Republican party fundraiser, Graham said: “If I’m President of the United States and you’re thinkin’ about joining al-Qaeda or ISIL—anybody thinkin’ about that?—I’m not going to call a judge, I’m going to call a drone, and we will kill you.” 2015 [[http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/05/17/407385168/gop-presidential-hopefuls-serve-up-ice-cream-cheese-and-red-meat-to-iowans]]

== On Israel ==
Graham said during a discussion of the Iran Deal that "The one thing I can say about Israel and nuclear weapons: Not one Arab state has felt the need to go down the nuclear road because of Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons." 2015 [[http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4550183/excerpt-israel-question]]
== Top Donors ==

Lindsey Graham is a candidate for the 2016 Republican nomination for President. He currently serves as the Senior U.S. Senator from South Carolina. Here is a list of his top ten donors during his political career, ranging from 1993-2014. [[https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=Career&type=I&cid=N00009975&newMem=N&recs=20]]

1. Nelson, Mullins et al-$208,247
	
2. Scana Corp-$172,105	

3. General Electric-$98,300
	
4. Edens & Avant-$82,250
	
5. Harrison, White et al-$82,100
	
6. EnergySolutions Inc-$81,600
	
7. Fluor Corp-$76,201
	
8. Blue Cross/Blue Shield-$74,673
	
9. Boeing Co-$69,543
	
10. Murray Energy-$62,775

== Fast Track Vote ==
Graham voted in favor of granting the President fast track trade authority. [[http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=114&session=1&vote=00183]]

== Ratings From Interest Groups ==
Click here for ratings: [[http://votesmart.org/candidate/evaluations/21992/lindsey-graham#.VbumrjBViko]]

== Other Wikis ==

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindsey_Graham

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Lindsey_Graham

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/graham_lindsey

==Resources== 

[http://thatsmycongress.com/senate/senGrahamSC113.html That's My Congress Score]