The Morning Briefing: Lindsey Graham — A Man of Many Surprises Right Until the End

Top O' the Briefing

Happy Monday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Iquzwck had begun dazzling the cul-de-sac with a curious mixture of Greek yogurt, various vodka-infused fruits, and just a hint of irony.

As emergences from my regularly scheduled weekly news hiatuses have gone, this one was jarring. I decided to get an early start to the work week, which starts with a return to X to see what's happening because that's my primary news source. It was like cold water in the face seeing people referring to South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham in the past tense.

When I read Sarah's post about Graham's passing, it seemed a little surreal. Yes, everyone dies, but let's be honest: There's something in the water in the Senate chamber that seems to guarantee that most of them will become nonagenarians. Graham was a relative spring chicken in Senate years.

Lindsey Graham is the man who launched a thousand opinions. Nobody was neutral when it came to Graham, which I think is one of the highest compliments that anyone can receive. You could find the full gamut of opinions among just Republicans. He could be infuriating at times, but then he could be the GOP pit bull that you needed to send after the Democrats.

As soon as I began processing the news, this was the first thing that I thought of:

When someone who has been part of your life for decades dies suddenly, I've always found it helpful to remember the moments they brought joy into your life. pic.twitter.com/vRD0YoBD4Q
— cdrsalamander (@cdrsalamander) July 12, 2026

Graham was absolutely on fire during the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings in the summer of 2018. The Democrats were frothing at the mouth with their "Believe All Women" nonsense, and Graham was having none of it. At one point, he refused to yield his time and UNLOADED on the Democrats.

Matt wrote about it in detail and summed it up well here:

Make no mistake about it, Graham aimed that speech at three audiences at once. President Trump was watching, and Trump responds to the fighters. Undecided Republican senators needed cover after Ford's performance rattled the room. The American public needed someone to say out loud what everyone on the right was thinking.
It worked. Kavanaugh's odds of confirmation had been sinking before Graham spoke. Afterward, it looked like he had a chance again, and sure enough, he ended up on the Supreme Court. Graham deserves as much credit as anyone for that outcome.
I remember exactly what it felt like watching that hearing live: Kavanaugh looked cooked, and then, in less than five minutes, Graham changed everything. He stopped Democrats from smearing a good man out of a seat he'd earned.

Whatever misgivings any Republicans may have had about Lindsey Graham prior to that vanished right then. As Matt said, it was his "greatest moment."

I don't expect to have to agree with any politician all of the time. It was easy to overlook any disagreements I had with Graham after that, because the wave of goodwill he was riding after the Kavanaugh confirmation was so big. I remember how spitting mad I was back then, and the "HELL YEAH!" feeling after Graham teed off on the thoroughly evil Democrats.

Lindsey Graham could be mercurial, but there was never any worry that he would go all Arlen Specter on us. He was full of surprises, and most of the surprises were pleasant. The links today are full of great perspectives from my colleagues across Townhall Media on Lindsey Graham's legacy and passing.

Like I said at the top, everybody has an opinion about him.

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The Mailbag of Magnificence

We will begin with a note from Dave A. (regarding this column):

Good Day Kruiser, in your article about the NY Times editorial perusal - first off thank you for taking THAT bullet - secondly, more sympathetic I can not be for how you must feel after reading and diving into the muck and mire. Regarding the left as a whole, I sincerely believe that we have found the cuckoos who flew over the nest!! Lastly, what's with the left's fascination with the hyphenated three names? Does that elevate them into a higher intellectual level? If they really want to stand out they should spell the hyphen as well. As always, I enjoy your gig.

Ha! I'd started to make a snarky comment about the hyphenate guy, but the column was already running long. The madness is everywhere now. I think half of the starters in the NFL are hyphenated. They're running out of room on the jerseys. Because no one understands moderation, I can foresee a day when people begin hyphenating two or three generations' worth of names to properly honor the ancestors. We'll almost certainly soon be at a point where any time I meet a "John Smith" in a bar, I'm buying him a drink just for keeping it real.

Roger R. writes:

I like to say "Father time waits for no one." Kruiser. Thanks for making me laugh with this response to Andy S. You don't know you anymore? Hoping you'll be blessed with many more years to enjoy trying to "find yourself" in the new person you become with advancing years. So far I'm pretty happy with the 'new' old me I discover periodically. Rather than complain about what I can't do, or seem to have lost, I have found lowering my personal performance expectations to things actually attainable greatly increases my satisfaction levels. After all, we weren't made to live forever. Enjoy your Barley Free weekend and I'll look forward to the Mailbox of Magnificence just around the corner. It's a great life if you don't weaken.

I am reluctantly avoiding beer for a bit for fitness purposes. Of course, that's all part of trying to live longer. My ego doesn't let me lower my expectations. I like a challenge, no matter how unrealistic it might be.

This is from Friend of the Briefing Brice:

"The Mailbag is taking on a life of its own." As it should. I believe I speak for many of us that it connects us to a fellow traveler who has unlimited pixels, a sense of humor, and a platform.... it's fun... and I believe you genuinely love your audience and this country. I'm just glad it hasn't become too tedious for you to keep up with the mailbag.

Whether performing live or writing, I've always held my audience in high esteem. Performers and writers who have disdain for their audiences tend to create self-indulgent garbage. Not always, but for the most part. The Mailbag is a lot more fun since I decided to stop trying to pick one day a week for it.

Dale is onto something here:

Morning, I want to see some real conniption fits. TRUMP, PRESIDENT FOR LIFE

Wouldn't that be fun watching their heads go all Scanners if we started talking about that?

Dan M. has an excellent observation and question:

Regarding: "I continue to marvel at not only how much President Donald Trump has on his plate, but also at the vigor with which he deals with it all." Trump has me thinking of wartime Churchill, but in1945, the British Bulldog was a decade younger than Trump is now. Trump seemingly never sleeps. Churchill would breakfast in bed and work from there till lunchtime. Trump is a teetotaler. Churchill would knock down three Johnnie Walker Reds before second breakfast. My conundrum, which only you can resolve--which is the greater leader? Cheers, Dan

There was a lot of TMI in The Last Lion trilogy of Churchill biographies. He used to work naked from bed and then work from the tub. And he did like to hit the whiskey and soda in the A.M. I don't know what the Brits call their servants, but Churchill's man-in-waiting or whatever once gave a little insight into how much he really drank. Churchill once wondered aloud how much whiskey the household went through annually, and the butler guy replied something to the effect of, "Not nearly as much as you think." I took that to heart and always make my daytime whiskey and sodas a bit weaker in my efforts to be Churchillian.

As for who I think is the greater leader: Trump leads the greater nation, so he wins.

Great stuff from the weekend. Thanks to all who took the time to write!

Everything Isn't Awful

Beach time!

This reunion.. 😊 pic.twitter.com/Hio8LMi8sr
— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) July 12, 2026

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