Exclusive: The Only Senator To Serve In Iraq

Maybe it's his South Carolina roots. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has strong viewpoints on every important, controversial issue of the day, but manages to present them so logically and politely that it's hard to be offended, even if you disagree. In that understated fashion with the southern drawl, Sen. Graham talked exclusively with me about his recent experience serving as an active duty reservist in Baghdad: the first sitting U.S. Senator to serve in the Iraq War.


(AP)

It was last month. Sen. Graham joined Sen. John McCain on an official trip to Baghdad. What almost nobody knew at the time was that Sen. Graham then quietly broke away and did an official tour of duty as an Air Force Reservist. He's served in the Air Force for 25 years in the capacity of active duty, guard or reserve as an attorney, both for the prosecution and defense.

What could this attorney, this Senator, offer to the effort in Iraq? Sen. Graham volunteered for something called the Rule of Law Task Force. While soldiers are fighting bombs and bullets, there's a parallel effort underway to defeat the insurgency by establishing a credible judicial system: something Iraq hasn't ever really had. This is a nation where the police and military have served as judge, jury and executioner. The concept of a system of checks and balances, where defendants have rights including their day in court, where judges aren't biased, where people from different sects are treated fairly. It's all brand new.

If you're interested in knowing more about the Rule of Law Task Force, Sen. Graham does a great job explaining it so I've included excerpts from the interview below. Read about the very first hearings in a new courthouse built by American forces, in which accused criminals from rival sects each had their day in court. A landmark event for Iraq, happening quietly under the media radar screen...

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