How Sen. Graham Muffed Prez and Veep Chances

A friend who disagreed – for some strange reason -- with one of my recent columns challenged me to name five Democrats whom I

“respect.” I rattled off nine, thankful he had not set the bar at ten.

Number-1on my hit parade was Florida Senator Bob Graham. Shortly thereafter, I scratched Graham for reasons disclosed a few paragraphs hence.

This moved the rest of the field up a notch to a total of eight.

Before giving Graham hip and thigh, let me share the revised list of Dems I “regard well” (don’t hold me to my friend’s overly broad noun/verb):

1 – House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Missouri.

2 -- Sen. Zell Miller, D-Georgia.

3 -- Sen. John Breaux, D-Louisiana.

4 -- Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Connecticut.

5 – Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida.

6 – Hugh B. Price, president, National Urban League.

7 – Former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Georgia, chairman of the Armed Forces Committee, whose daughter Michelle may run for his old job.

8 -- Leon Panetta, chief of staff for President Clinton but more notably as a former eight-term D-California congressman.

Common denominator for the lot is their moderate approach to political issues.

Now, back to Sen. Graham and the uncharacteristic left turn in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Graham – a multi-millionaire attorney, real estate developer and cattle rancher – began his political career as a state representative in 1966. Then he was a two-term state senator, two-term governor and three-term Florida senator. He has never lost an election.

He gained national attention in his 1978 gubernatorial upset of a GOP incumbent by working a day in 100 various jobs around the state – teacher, dock worker, bank teller, carpenter etc. He unsuccessfully courted nomination for vice-president on the Democratic ticket in 1984 and 1988.

Graham said last December he was considering running for either president, re-election as senator, or retiring. Before deciding, he had open-heart surgery in January for a defective valve. Upon recovering, he announced his presidential candidacy.

In office, Bob Graham has been a centrist – voting often for Republican initiatives. As senator, he was chairman (now senior member) of the Intelligence Committee and the Finance Committee.

Apparently inspired by the other eight Democrat candidates who get media attention by denouncing President Bush, Graham has taken strong anti-administration positions.

He is the only senator in the race to vote against the Iraq war resolution -- though he was a sponsor of the U.S.A. Patriot Act.

Graham made points with hard-shell Democrats during the June NAACP convention. He was asked if he would support impeachment of President Bush should Democrats regain control of the House.

Graham replied, “If the standard of impeachment that the Republicans set for Bill Clinton – a personal, consensual relationship – was the basis, would not a president who knowingly deceived the American people about something as important as whether to go to war meet the standard of impeachment?”

Again, the canard that Clinton was impeached for inconsequential hanky panky with a young girl in the Oval office.

Graham knows full well – as all Democrats do but won’t admit – that Clinton was impeached for lying under oath.

Thus, the senator is perceived to be an intellectually dishonest opportunist. Florida Republicans who voted for Graham in the past are heading for the exits.

A Mason-Dixon opinion poll last week indicates Graham’s approval in his home state has fallen to 47 percent from the 60 percent or more throughout his career.

Another poll by the Des Moines Register shows he likely would receive only 1 percent of the vote in Iowa’s Democrat caucus.

Had Graham coasted on his solid, centrist reputation – and able as a veep to help swing Florida’s 27 electoral votes, third largest -- the eventual Democrat presidential candidate might pick him for a running mate.

What a difference that would have made in 2000 for Al Gore. Now, that bonanza for Democrats has faded for 2004.

We grow too soon old, and too late smart.

PARTING SHOTS

Some 300 Californians are said to be considering running for governor in the recall election there. Great! No more jokes about Florida.

* * *

The man who won $113 million in Powerball cash, donated $3 million to churches and lugged around a half million in a suitcase for spending money. His stash was stolen from his car, motor idling, while he visited a strip joint. The cost of curb service has gone up.

Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist

Williams – Graham

Sunday – Aug, 10, 2003

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