Tasked with defending Sarah Palin's foreign policy credentials as a vice presidential nominee, Sen. Lindsey Graham instead launched a vicious attack at Barack Obama's capacity to serve as president.
"I would dread the day that Senator Obama took the oath to become commander in chief," the South Carolina Republican and ardent McCain supporter said today on ABC's This Week.
The remark - one of the more blunt claims leveled during this campaign - comes amidst increased scrutiny over McCain's appointment of Palin to be his running mate. The Alaska Governor, who has served less than two years in office and has limited foreign policy credentials at best, has created troubles for a Republican Party hoping to cast the Obama ticket as the one of inexperience.
Graham spent much of his interview Sunday defending Palin's capacity to serve on moment's notice as commander in chief. But as ABC's George Stephanopoulos noted immediately following the "dread" remark, much of that defense came in the form of turning the attack lights on to Obama.
"Barack Obama, who got it incredibly wrong in Iraq, ... would sit down with Ahmadinejad and change the whole dynamic of the Mideast by empowering a nut and sending every wrong signal to extremists and moderates," Graham said. "His judgment in these areas has been terrible, proven to be terrible. I would be proud to call her my president. I think she could step in and fulfill the agenda domestically and internationally that John McCain wants to set for the country. Compared to Barack Obama, I think she'd make one hell of a commander in chief."
