Sen. Lindsey Graham and Stupid Speak

By Paul Gable

I know Sen. Lindsey Graham is in re-election mode, but is it really necessary for him to attempt to redefine “stupid” in political speak?

After telling us he was “glad” the National Security Agency was collecting phone records on millions of American citizens and advocating raining cruise missiles down on Syria, Graham’s latest oral gem calls for a U.S. boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia if the Russian government does not deny former NSA contractor Edward Snowden asylum.

Snowden’s the guy who told The Guardian newspaper about the NSA spying efforts on American citizens.

Boycott the Olympics? Who does that hurt other than the American athletes who will be denied the opportunity to compete?

It was a stupid thing for President Jimmy Carter to order a boycott of the Moscow Olympics in 1980, after the Russians invaded Afghanistan. It would be even stupider now.

But, as Forrest Gump’s mama said, “Stupid is as stupid does,” and Graham is excelling at doing stupid.

Honestly Lindsey, do you really think ordering the U.S. Winter Olympic team to boycott the 2014 games sends the Russian government “the most unequivocal signal I could send them”?

Why not advocate sending a cruise missile (you seem to love them so much) into the transit zone at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport where Snowden has been holed up for nearly a month? That would be no less stupid, but much more of an unequivocal signal.

I know Graham is concerned about his 2014 re-election bid even though we have yet to see a really strong challenger emerge.

But, wouldn’t it help him more to act like a U.S. Senator who is concerned that the economy is still in the tank, the national debt and federal government spending are still out of control and the federal government still gives off all the appearances of being broken?

Concentrate on trying to find solutions to those problems Lindsey and leave the American athletes alone.