Name: Opinion: The mysterious case of Lindsey Graham's political transformation
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Opinion: The mysterious case of Lindsey Graham's political transformation

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Richard N. Bond was the Republican National Committee Chairman from 1992-1993. The views expressed in this commentary belong to the author. View on CNN. (CNN)For years, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham was a prominent sidekick to his maverick colleague from Arizona, John McCain, as the two served as moderate voices of conscience in Washington, DC. But in the years since McCain was first diagnosed with cancer, Graham's role has changed. How, though, did he morph into former President Donald Trump's chief lickspittle in the US Senate, who just this past weekend to Mar-a-Lago to discuss the Republican Party's future? One could speculate endlessly about the reasons: his desire to avoid a Trump-inspired primary against him in 2020, potential presidential aspirations, etc. But I think it's far simpler: as a political opportunist, Graham has placed his desire for power above his own First elected to the US House of Representatives in 1994, Graham is now serving his fourth term in the US Senate. He famously became an ally of McCain, joining him in bipartisan outreach on issues such as and , even though it earned him the nickname "" from the late-conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh.Graham briefly sought the 2016 Republican nomination for president, before in late 2015. He even that he voted against Trump in the 2016 general election. Read MoreAnd during the 2015-2016 election cycle, Graham was one of Trump's fiercest and most colorful critics, a "nutjob" and a "jackass." But he didn't stop there. The same month Graham dropped out of the race, he , "You know how to make America great again? Tell Donald Trump to go to hell ... He's a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot. He doesn't represent my party. He doesn't represent the values that the men and women who wear the uniform are fighting for." He that if Trump secured the Republican nomination, "we will get slaughtered in November 2016. And frankly, we will deserve it."Graham may have been wrong about the 2016 election outcome, but his predictions about Trump's unfitness for office, bungling policy issues and the Republican Party apart were sadly prophetic. Still, despite his long-running protestations and in the face of Trump's manifest incompetence, Graham changed his tune shortly after a March 2017 meeting with Trump, during which the two enemies seemingly settled their differences. Graham saying: "I had a great lunch meeting with President Trump today. He is strongly committed to rebuilding our military which is music to my ears. President Trump is in a deal-making mode and I hope Congress is like-minded." Later that year, Graham the reason behind his pro-Trump shift to Politico, stating, "If you know anything about me, it'd be odd for me not to do this ... This is to try and be relevant." At its noblest, Graham's quest for "relevancy" could be the same impulse that propelled Trump administration figures, such as , to remain in their jobs in an effort to prevent Trump from acting on his worst impulses. At its crassest, Graham's quest symbolizes the price good men and women pay when they try to maintain -- and even expand -- power. Sadly, Graham's about-face seems to place him squarely in the quest for power category. that he went from, "I think he's (Trump) a kook. I think he's crazy. I think he's unfit for office," in 2016, to "What concerns me about the American press is this endless, endless attempt to label the guy some kind of kook not fit to be President," in 2017. Really, Sen. Graham?Since Trump's 2020 loss, Graham has embraced the former president to a degree that surpasses even Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who both challenged the 2020 election results on January 6. In fact, Graham to spend time with Trump after the January 6 riot. And, during the recent impeachment trial, Graham (along with Cruz and Utah Sen. Mike Lee) with Trump's defense team, despite the fact that they were supposed to serve as impartial jurors. Graham Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, for the vacant US Senate seat in neighboring North Carolina. Predictably, one of the current GOP Senate candidates for the seat, former three-term Rep. Mark Walker, : "In the words of, I believe it was John Ashcroft, Lindsey is always confident but not always right." Additionally, Graham condemned Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's blistering critique of Trump following the impeachment trial , "He (McConnell) got a load off his chest obviously. But unfortunately, he put a load on the back of Republicans."Get our free weekly newsletterSign up for CNN Opinion's new Join us on and This past weekend, Graham said he discussed with Trump an "America first agenda that can help unite the party." But what did Trump say? His price was likely to continue to perpetuate the "" that he won the 2020 election. McConnell knows the price is too high, and back in 2015, , too: "I'd rather lose without Donald Trump than try to win with him." Regrettably, it appears that Graham has left the building, and instead, we're : "Trump-plus is the way back in 2022." In his Senate eulogy of McCain, Graham : "Honor is, in my view, doing the right thing at your own expense. And he (McCain) did that time and time again." If only Graham would heed those words.

Richard N. Bond was the Republican National Committee Chairman from 1992-1993. The views expressed in this commentary belong to the author. View on CNN. (CNN)For years, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham was a prominent sidekick to his maverick colleague from Arizona, John McCain, as the two served as moderate voices of conscience in Washington, DC. But in the years since McCain was first diagnosed with cancer, Graham's role has changed. How, though, did he morph into former President Donald Trump's chief lickspittle in the US Senate, who just this past weekend to Mar-a-Lago to discuss the...

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Opinion: The mysterious case of Lindsey Graham's political transformation

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