Proud to Have Sen. Graham Serving in Washington

When Senator Graham potential nominee for the Supreme Court I was proud as a Gilbert Peach. However, the pride soon faded into a realism that we would lose a great Senator to the nomination. Sure, the seat would have been filled by a capable individual but it just would not be the same because no one is like Sen. Graham, who is one in a million. He would make a good Justice, but he makes an even better Senator and enjoys the hand to hand combat of politics. He also likes finding solutions to America’s problems.

While proud that he may have received the nomination I am even more proud that he is a United States Senator. This pride comes from having watched him and understanding who this remarkable man is as an American. He loves his job as a Senator because as he said “I’m a kid in a candy store. You can play at every area of the government that intrigues you. They can’t deal you out of the game. And I’m loving my job,” he said to the Charlotte Observer in June 2005. I love this attitude, it absolutely shines. I wish there were more like him because than Washington would be a more pleasant place.

I enjoy watching him as a Senator because he does an outstanding job, especially when he gets to question the leadership in committee hearings. Want to see Secretary Rumsfeld sweat? Ok. Watch Sen. Graham question him during a hearing of the Armed Services Committee hearing. The questions are to the point and require a thoughtful, non-rosy answer.

He also tries to protect the American worker. This was the purpose of the Schumer-Graham legislation that would have placed tariffs on Chinese imports in order to force China to revalue its currency.

I also appreciate his independence and willingness to take heat for his decisions. An example of this was when he supported a compromise rather than voting to change the senate rules to force through President Bush’s judicial nominees. He took major heat but is weathering the storm well. He says of his detractors,

For some people in politics it’s not enough to agree with them on the issue, you have to hate the people they hate. I’m not going to be a hater. I’m going to be a solid conservative and a reformer.

I am also glad that he is not apologizing for this because I admire his independence. We need more like him because then work might get done by ignoring the special interest groups.

I also think his tolerance is a wonderful thing because unlike some colleagues he realizes the importance of our diversity: “People should be judged on their conduct and not their status. The better able we are to disagree with each other and to accept our differences, the stronger we will be as a nation.” Sen. Graham is remarkable in my opinion. He enjoys his job, is tolerant and has a wonderful independent streak. I wish others would appreciate these characteristics as much as I do because I believe that Sen. Graham is someone we should be proud to have as a Senator.