{"id":21526,"date":"2026-03-10T02:40:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T02:40:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/03\/10\/when-lindsey-graham-says-slow-down-you-know-its-serious\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T02:40:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T02:40:32","slug":"when-lindsey-graham-says-slow-down-you-know-its-serious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2026\/03\/10\/when-lindsey-graham-says-slow-down-you-know-its-serious\/","title":{"rendered":"When Lindsey Graham Says \u2018Slow Down,\u2019 You Know It\u2019s Serious"},"content":{"rendered":"


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The following is an edited transcript excerpt from The Michael Knowles Show<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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You know you\u2019ve gone too far in your Middle East bombing campaign when Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) tells you to cool your jets. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sen. Graham \u2014 whom I like personally \u2014 has never seen a Middle Eastern country he didn\u2019t want to bomb. He\u2019s been beating the drum for war for a very, very long time.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it gives a lot of credibility to his criticism in his recent tweets on X:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Our allies in Israel have shown amazing capability when it comes to collapsing the murderous regime in Iran. America is most appreciative\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You can just sense there\u2019s a \u201cbut\u201d coming. And here it is:<\/span><\/p>\n

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However, there will be a day soon that the Iranian people will be in charge of their own fate, not the murderous Ayatollah regime. In that regard, please be cautious about what targets you select. Our goal is to liberate the Iranian people in a fashion that does not cripple their chance to start a new and better life when this regime collapses. The oil economy of Iran will be essential to that endeavor.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Our allies in Israel have shown amazing capability when it comes to collapsing the murderous regime in Iran. America is most appreciative.<\/p>\n

However, there will be a day soon that the Iranian people will be in charge of their own fate, not the murderous ayatollah\u2019s regime.<\/p>\n

In\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Source: @LindseyGrahamSC\/X.com<\/p>\n

For background, Graham\u2019s statement comes after Axios published this article<\/a>, which says:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Israel\u2019s strikes on 30 Iranian fuel depots Saturday went far beyond what the U.S. expected when Israel notified it in advance, sparking the first significant disagreement between the allies since the war began eight days ago, according to a U.S. official, Israeli official and a source with knowledge.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Now, whenever the United States and Israel \u2014 or any two allies \u2014 are publicly disagreeing, there\u2019s always the possibility that it\u2019s partly a show. Sometimes governments signal disagreement publicly while coordinating privately. But this situation suggests otherwise. There may be a legitimate difference of opinion. <\/span>Maybe a little tail wagging the dog here?<\/span><\/p>\n

On its own, Lindsey Graham publicly rebuking Israel is notable. He\u2019s a major, longtime supporter of Israel and a major supporter of regime change in Iran. He is not exactly shy about using the military. And he\u2019s saying: guys, what are we doing here?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The reporting says the United States is worried this could backfire strategically. And those concerns highlight the stakes of the war.<\/span><\/p>\n

My reaction from the beginning \u2014 when the possibility of war with Iran started circulating \u2014 has been that there are two very firm camps making overly simplistic arguments.<\/span><\/p>\n

On one hand you have the pacifists who say war is never the answer, that there is never any place for war. That\u2019s not a serious moral or political position.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand you have hardcore ideological neocon types \u2014 who say the United States has a moral duty to spread liberal democracy everywhere on earth. That\u2019s also a very ideological view.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"DailyWire+\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you get rid of those two extremes, then there are the people in the middle where reasonable minds can disagree over the wisdom of the Iran campaign. That\u2019s certainly where President Trump is. That\u2019s certainly where I am and where I think most people are.<\/span><\/p>\n

In the lead-up to the Iran war, when it became clear it was going to happen, I was asking people who were in the know \u2014 grand strategy types, diplomats \u2014 what do you think about this? Should we go to war in Iran? Should we not go to war in Iran?<\/span><\/p>\n

And the most persuasive answer I heard was: Well, if we can do it quickly and successfully, then it would be good to change out the regime. But if we can\u2019t, we shouldn\u2019t.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So, I\u2019ve said from the beginning, if I were on the National Security Council (NSC) \u2014 not that anyone invited me \u2014 but if I had been on the NSC, I would have made all the arguments I could against the Iran strike. Not based on any particular moral argument. I think there\u2019s legal justification to go into Iran. <\/span>Again, the government had more knowledge than I did when they launched the strike, but if they had asked me, based only on\u00a0publicly available knowledge I would have said: Look, I don\u2019t know that the threat from Iran is as grave as people are suggesting or as imminent. Also, <\/em><\/span>I\u2019m not confident that we can efficiently and effectively swap out the regime in Iran to get a more Western-friendly regime.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

So because of those practical, prudential, pragmatic matters, I don\u2019t know that it\u2019s the right idea. But if you could convince me otherwise on those two points, then I would say, yes, it\u2019s probably a good idea.<\/span><\/p>\n

And these are the stakes here.<\/span><\/p>\n

President Trump is taking a much more realistic view. This comes right out of his National Security Strategy that was released last November. President Trump clearly believes that he\u2019s the guy to do it \u2014 that he can do it. He has great confidence in himself and in his foreign policy and in the people he\u2019s empowered to efficiently get rid of the Iranian regime and build up a more pro-Western regime.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similar to what he did in Venezuela. An operation free of global fallout, that will rebuff our enemies like China and Russia, and that will make America great again \u2014 that will help us on the world stage and give us a chance, after decades of decline in the American empire, to be great again.<\/span><\/p>\n

He thinks he\u2019s the guy who can do it. And maybe he is. He\u2019s got a pretty good record so far.<\/span><\/p>\n

The distinction between him and, say, George W. Bush when it comes to foreign policy would be: Bush wasn\u2019t that good at it, and I am good at it.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

But in order for that to work, things need to go perfectly. And that\u2019s a really, really tall order in the best circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

And in order for that to work, we need to not turn the Iranian people against us. We need to keep public sentiment against the Islamic regime and at least tolerating us, if not openly supportive of the United States, grateful for our mission.<\/span><\/p>\n

And we need to make sure the country doesn\u2019t become completely destabilized. Which means sometimes we need to rein in Israel \u2014 just like we would have to rein in any other ally if they got a little out of control.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the point Lindsey Graham is making. That\u2019s the point it seems the White House is making with the leak to Axios.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those are the stakes.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I\u2019ve had to explain to friends who are deeply skeptical of the war in Iran \u2014 the quasi-isolationists \u2014 if this works, it will be the greatest foreign policy achievement of any president since the end of the Cold War. Take the Cold War off the table, and it may rank among the most significant foreign policy victories of the last eighty years.<\/span><\/p>\n

But if this goes south, Trump\u2019s legacy will look a lot like George W. Bush\u2019s.<\/span><\/p>\n

Those are the stakes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stakes so high that even Lindsey Graham is publicly signaling caution \u2014 urging Israel to rein it in. That alone tells you everything about how high they are.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"DailyWire<\/p>\n

Continue reading this exclusive article and join the conversation, plus watch free videos on DW+<\/p>\n