Source: Wikimedia Commons Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina has just announced his bid for the Republican nomination for president. Graham is a well known foreign policy hawk; supporting the NSA's metadata collection program under Section 215 [which just sunset/expired due to the action's of Senator Rand Paul, a right-wing libertarian who opposed the NSA's program and who is also seeking the Republican nomination], troops on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan to combat terrorists and ISIS, keeping Guantanamo Bay open, and heavy arms sales to Ukraine to fight off Russia's "little green men". On other issues, Graham tends to take a more centrist approach. He supports immigration reform [he has voted many times in favor of bills that would reform immigration] and doesn't see mass deportation as the way to deal with the current crisis. A quote from him; "Where is the Republican Party on problem solving? Is there a rational way forward on immigration? Do you deport 11 million people? I don't think so." Graham also supports limiting campaign contributions, and is okay with welfare programs even though he thinks they should be reformed. He is an underdog whose Big Brother security state policies and aggressive foreign policy stance is becoming increasingly unpopular, even within his own party. Personally, I doubt he will win. He is the biggest foreign policy hawk around [next to Senator John McCain] and has McCain's full support, but neither are that well liked in the Republican Party and every other GOP contender has already beaten their chest and called for a tougher foreign policy stance [expect for Rand Paul, which sets him apart from the rest of the pack]. His centrist policies conflict with his support for the security state [the NSA's spying program has been ruled unconstitutional by a federal court and the public really isn't a big fan of the program], and those who turn out to the GOP primary tend to favor a tougher stance on immigration, with some vehemently opposed to immigration reform that doesn't include dramatically boosting border security and deportations. The first GOP debate is in August, and those who poll in the top ten spots will get to participate. We will have to see if he is able to muster up enough support to get a podium by then.