As he did in earlier debates, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) went after President Obama's foreign policy Wednesday evening during the first CNBC Republican presidential debate, saying Obama is an "incompetent" commander-in-chief.
"We're being walked all over because our commander-in-chief is weak in the eyes of our enemies," Graham said. "You think Putin would be in the Ukraine today if Ronald Reagan were president? Why are the Chinese stealing our intellectual property, hacking into our system? Why are they building islands over resource-rich waters? Because they can get away with it. At the end of the day, ladies and gentlemen, the foreign policy of Barack Obama needs to be replaced, and the last person you want to find to replace his foreign policy is his secretary of state."
With a theatrical flair, he added: "So, to the Chinese, when it comes to dealing with me, you have a clenched fist and an open hand. You pick. The party's over to all the dictators. Make me commander-in-chief and this crap stops." Catherine Garcia
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.