A person’s legacy, much like the life they lead, can’t be described in a single sentence.
Much of Washington DC paused yesterday for the funeral service for Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a former Trump alarmist who later became one of his biggest apologists and steadfast allies.
Two of his closest international friends provided a perfect snapshot of his impact around the world as people gathered yesterday to remember him.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel were both in the capital to meet with President Trump and pay their respect to Graham’s family.
It was well known that Graham was perhaps the strongest ally of both – one a cornerstone Trump ally in a major conflict currently underway in the middle east and another that has often been reluctantly supported by Trump and other Republicans.
Whatever people think of Graham, his work had impact that continues today.
The day before his death, Graham met with Zelensky in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he announced a new sanctions package aimed at Russian oligarchs and government officials, including President Vladimir Putin himself. That package, which now carries his name, passed yesterday in the U.S. Senate 86-12, a testament to Graham’s ability to unite people who usually disagree on everything.
Graham’s life was complicated and multi-faceted, but like all good politicians he spent it trying to make a difference – even if the headlines he helped write didn’t always strike the right note.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
