Lindsey Graham, a profile in courage

Senator Lindsey Graham died this weekend from a heart attack, two days after his 71st birthday. He left behind no wife, no children and not much of a fortune—at best $3 million after 33 years in Congress.

But he bequeathed to the American people a fair and impartial Supreme Court that had the boldness to take on the powers of the federal bureaucracy (West Virginia v. EPA) and return to the states powers previous courts and Congress had stolen (Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization).

Jack Kennedy wrote Profiles in Courage, a collection of brief profiles of 8 past senators who stood up for what they believed was right.

For example, JFK cited Robert Taft for criticizing the Nuremberg Trials for trying Nazi war criminals under ex post facto laws. It cost Taft—Mr. Republican—his party’s presidential nomination in 1948. I don’t know if that was a good thing or not given that a Taft victory would have given him the nomination in 1952, blocking Eisenhower from ever becoming president.

But I do know that it was a good thing for the nation that the good people of South Carolina entrusted one of their two Senate seats in Lindsey Graham.

His parents ran the Sanitary Café in Central, South Carolina, a combination bar, restaurant, liquor store and pool room. At a very young age, he ran the pool room. For years, they lived in a single room behind the café until they had enough money to buy a trailer, which sat out back.

Graham’s parents died when he was in college, leaving him a sister to care for. He adopted her and she lived with an aunt and uncle. He graduated from college and law school before joining the Air Force, where he served as a JAG officer.

60 Minutes did a story on his defense of an airman charged with using marijuana. This led to the Air Force correcting its drug testing.

After 6 years of active duty, Graham joined the South Carolina Air National Guard and retired as a colonel.

Graham rose through the ranks in the House and later the Senate, rising to chairman of the judiciary committee, which screens judicial nominations.

His sense of decency and his collegiality served the nation well at a crucial moment when a false accusation of sexual harassment threatened the Supreme Court for a second time.

In the summer of 2018, Justice Anthony Kennedy retired. Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh as his successor. The American Bar Association unanimously endorsed Kavanaugh as Well Qualified, its highest rating. Later, the ABA gave the same unanimous endorsement to Ketanji Brown-Jackson.

Because without Kennedy, the court was divided evenly between conservatives and liberals, Democrats wanted to block the nomination, believing they could win back the Senate and block any Trump nominee for two years until they would cheat and elect Joe “Of All People” Biden. Obama already planned the 2020 steal.

Democrats decided to use their Acme Anita Hill Ray Gun once again, even though it failed to stop Clarence Thomas in 1991.

This time the liar was a psychology professor from California—Christine Blasey Ford—who claimed that Kavanaugh threw her on a bed drunk and groped her at a party somewhere in Bethesda, Maryland, sometime in the summer of 1982 when she was 15 and he was 17.

She had no witnesses. Three people she claimed were at the party did not recall the party. Kavanaugh produced his calendar from 1982 which showed no such party.

Nevertheless, Republican senators were reluctant to endorse him.

Graham rose to the occasion and used his interview time to make Kavanaugh’s case.

GRAHAM: Are you aware that at 9:23 on the night of July the 9th, the day you were nominated to the Supreme Court by President Trump, Senator Schumer said 23-minutes after your nomination, “I will oppose Judge Kavanaugh’s nomination with everything I have, I have (sic) a bipartisan—and I hope a bipartisan majority will do the same. The stakes are simply too high for anything less.” Well, if you weren’t aware of it, you are now. Did you meet with Senator Dianne Feinstein on August 20th?

KAVANAUGH: I did meet with Senator Feinstein.

GRAHAM: Did you know that her staff had already recommended a lawyer to Dr. Ford?

KAVANAUGH: I did not know that.

GRAHAM: Did you know that her and her staff had this—allegations for over 20 days?

KAVANAUGH: I did not know that at the time.

GRAHAM: If you wanted a FBI investigation, you could have come to us. What you want to do is destroy this guy’s life, hold this seat open and hope you win in 2020. You’ve said that, not me. You’ve got nothing to apologize for.

When you see Sotomayor and Kagan, tell them that Lindsey said hello because I voted for them. I would never do to them what you’ve done to this guy. This is the most unethical sham since I’ve been in politics. And if you really wanted to know the truth, you sure as hell wouldn’t have done what you’ve done to this guy.

Are you a gang rapist?

KAVANAUGH: No.

GRAHAM: I cannot imagine what you and your family have gone through.

Boy, you all want power. God, I hope you never get it. I hope the American people can see through this sham. That you knew about it and you held it. You had no intention of protecting Dr. Ford; none. She’s as much of a victim as you are. God, I hate to say it because these have been my friends. But let me tell you, when it comes to this, you’re looking for a fair process? You came to the wrong town at the wrong time, my friend.

Do you consider this a job interview?

KAVANAUGH: If the advise and consent role is like a job interview.

GRAHAM: Do you consider that you’ve been through a job interview?

KAVANAUGH: I’ve been through a process of advice and consent under the Constitution, which...

GRAHAM: Would you say you’ve been through hell?

KAVANAUGH: I’ve been through hell and then some.

GRAHAM: This is not a job interview.

KAVANAUGH: Yes.

GRAHAM: This is hell. This is going to destroy the ability of good people to come forward because of this crap. Your high school yearbook—you have interacted with professional women all your life, not one accusation. You’re supposed to be Bill Cosby when you’re a junior and senior in high school. And all of a sudden, you got over it. It’s been my understanding that if you drug women and rape them for two years in high school, you probably don’t stop.

Here’s my understanding, if you lived a good life people would recognize it, like the American Bar Association has, the gold standard. His integrity is absolutely unquestioned. He is the very circumspect in his personal conduct, harbors no biases or prejudices. He’s entirely ethical, is a really decent person. He is warm, friendly, unassuming. He’s the nicest person—the ABA.

The one thing I can tell you should be proud of Ashley, you should be proud of this—that you raised a daughter who had the good character to pray for Dr. Ford.

To my Republican colleagues, if you vote no, you’re legitimizing the most despicable thing I have seen in my time in politics. You want this seat? I hope you never get it.

I hope you’re on the Supreme Court, that’s exactly where you should be. And I hope that the American people will see through this charade. And I wish you well. And I intend to vote for you and I hope everybody who’s fair-minded will.

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The vote for Kavanaugh was 50-48—the narrowest margin for a Supreme Court Justice. Clarence Thomas held the previous record, 52-48.

I apologize for delaying today’s newsletter but I don’t write on Sunday. I seldom do obituaries but Senator Graham rose to the occasion. He saved the Supreme Court, which was the pinnacle of a career of true public service.

UPDATE: 4 hours after the newsletter posted, President Trump voted for Sister Darline.