Lindsey Graham Under Fire From Every Corner After Invoking Iwo Jima in Iran Invasion Push
7,000 Marines died there. "He is acting as if they are expendable cattle."
This article originally appeared on the Daily Caller News Foundation and was republished with permission.
Guest post by Nicole Silverio
Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is taking fire from both sides of the aisle after comparing the invasion of Iran’s Kharg Island to the Battle of Iwo Jima in a Sunday interview.
Graham said on “Fox News Sunday” that deploying U.S. ground troops to take Kharg Island should not be off the table. The senator invoked the fierce and bloody World War II battle of Iwo Jima as his example, a 36-day battle that left nearly 7,000 Americans dead and some 19,000 others wounded in March of 1945.
Members of Congress and influencers from both sides of the political aisle accused Graham of not caring how many Americans could die in order to take the key Iranian oil hub. Among those firing back at Graham, The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh argued that he should have no influence whatsoever in American politics.
“It’s extremely troubling that Graham has so much influence with the administration and has been so empowered to speak on its behalf,” Walsh said. “He is not conservative, he is not America first, he has never done a single thing in his career to advance the interests of actual American citizens, and he clearly wants this war to continue indefinitely and doesn’t care how many Americans die in the process. He should have no influence and no say over anything. He’s one of the worst people in all of congress and that includes the Democrats.”
Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace blasted Graham as warmonger and added context on Iwo Jima as the “bloodiest battle in Marine Corps history.”
Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna also said she was “deeply upset” by Graham’s “unacceptable” statement about Iwo Jima.
“I am deeply upset at the lack of respect for life Senator Lindsey Graham is displaying when talking about our troops. He is acting as if they are expendable cattle,” Luna said. “This is unacceptable and dark. There were over 26,000 American casualties at Iwo Jima.
Former Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Graham would rather see Americans die overseas rather than focus on fixing domestic problems.
“Lindsey Graham is a psychotic neocon who invokes Iwo Jima and is willing to send US Marines in to be slaughtered in Iran instead of working for America to get Homeland Security funded so TSA, ICE, and BPA get paid. South Carolina please vote him out!!!” Greene wrote.
Conservative media personality Mike Cernovich questioned why supporters of the conflict in Iran are not outraged by Graham calling for an “Iwo Jima level war.”
“Can anyone explain why comic Dave Smith and Tucker Carlson are called out for being divisive, but [Lindsey] Graham, an actual U.S. Senator with sway over the federal budget, and Trump, can call for an Iwo Jima level war and nobody yelling about Tucker cares?” Cernovich said.
“40% casualty rate. Over 80% for some units,” Turning Point USA’s Jack Posobiec said.
Democratic Colorado Rep. Jason Crow highlighted the number of American casualties in the Battle of Iwo Jima.
“No, Lindsey, ‘we’ didn’t do Iwo Jima,” Crow said. “Almost 7,000 Americans who died and 19,000 who were wounded did Iwo Jima. And they did it to fight for our freedom—with the support of Congress and the American people.”
Graham’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
President Donald Trump’s administration is considering plans to blockade or occupy Kharg Island to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Axios reported. Trump is not willing to end the war until he ends Iran’s interference on shipping through the strait, particularly as it has caused global energy prices to surge.
Former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent said deploying U.S. troops on the island would be a “disaster.”
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