Lindsey Graham knew good from evil and stood up for America every time

 “You dumb sonofabitch.You have a perfectly good job and now this?” This was the tongue-in-cheek, kind and supportive call I received from Sen.

Lindsey Graham when I agreed to be nominated to become America’s 70th Secretary of State. That greeting was classic Lindsey — funny and warm, encouraging and humble.He then turned to serious business, adding: “You’ll be great and I’ll be with you every step of the way.

We have a lot of work to do.” And he was with me.Even when we had different judgments, he always helped me navigate tough problems, whether abroad or in Washington.

I later learned that Sen.Graham had been among those who suggested to President Trump that he choose me as secretary of state back in 2018.

I will be forever grateful for his advocacy for me and for his essential assistance in the successes we had in that first term.I first met Sen.Graham when he and Sen.

John McCain and Sen.Joe Lieberman were kind enough to include me — a junior backbench congressman from Kansas — on their trip to the Munich Security Conference. We spent hours in conversation about American leadership and security.

Lindsey shared his experiences freely and welcomed challenges to his ideas. He worked — tirelessly — for South Carolina and for the United States. He was a true patriot. And he was fierce. When I think of service to a cause, it is difficult to imagine a better model than Sen.Graham.

The chance to watch him up close has benefited me greatly.He understood that America’s security depends on massive strength and reasoned judgments. In the aftermath of the mass murder on Sep.11, 2001, he was clear-eyed about the need to build a counterterrorism architecture to protect us from radical Islam, and was instrumental in forging the terror prevention measures that have protected us for almost 25 years.  Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Please provide a valid email.

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