GOP presidential candidate Lindsey Graham, whose
outspoken comments praising former President George W. Bush drew attention at Tuesday night's GOP undercard debate, on Wednesday morning called on front-runner Donald Trump to "knock it off" with his comments on Muslims and accusing Ted Cruz of trying to be "everything to everyone."
But most of all, he told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program that he came out swinging in Las Vegas because he wanted to "articulate a way forward to win a war we can't afford to lose."
"Isolationism is in full retreat within the Republican Party," said the South Carolina Republican senator, explaining that war is being declared on the Muslim faith, while Radical Islam is "a small strain."
"The way to be safe here at home is through partnerships," Graham, who has traveled extensively in the Middle East, said.
"I have seen Muslims die trying to fight radical Islam, helping us," he said. "I have seen interpreters attacked and killed, judges assassinated. I have seen Americans partner with people in the region, and that's the way forward. This idea of killing every man, woman and child in the middle East does not make us safer."
Cruz has championed "carpet bombing" in Syria, but Graham, who retired in June after serving 33 years in the Air Force, said he's never heard anyone try to explain carpet bombing like Cruz does.
"Ted Cruz is trying to be everything to everybody," said Graham, when "he is actually an isolationist. Did it make sense what he was saying? The reason ISIL is inside of Raqqa, in homes, offices, integrated into the civilian population is they're daring us to kill everybody. In Ted Cruz's world, they're all in the desert and we carpet bomb them. He doesn't have a fixed foreign policy."
And that stance and other comments made Cruz "the biggest loser" in Tuesday's debate.
"He has sense of purpose about how to win the war," said Graham. "What he said didn't make a lot of sense to me."
And when it comes to Trump, on Tuesday night Graham said the prospect of the New Yorker winning in 2016 would leave ISIS "dancing in the streets, they just don't believe in dancing."
By that, he said he means that Trump "doesn't understand this is a religious war between radical Islam, the world at large and the way to win the war is partner with people in the faith who overwhelmingly reject this ideology."
But Trump's call to ban Muslims from coming into the United States undercuts the nation's ability to partner with other nations and empowers the enemy.
Graham said he is also offended by Trump's comments about
executing Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, attributing such attitudes to radical Islamic militants.
"I am not fighting for summary execution; they do that, Donald," he said Wednesday. "They execute people without a trial. You want to be commander in chief of the American armed forces and you're articulating summary execution of a military member. The world is falling apart. We need serious discussions about how to make America safe, and as a military lawyer for 33 years, I can only imagine how people must feel within the ranks to hear that the wannabe commander-in-chief would summarily execute a soldier without a trial."
Bergdahl is facing a life sentence, Graham said, calling for allowing the military justice system to work.
"He sounds strong and tough, when Donald Trump advocates summary execution of an American military member," said Graham. "Donald, that's not tough, that's demagoguery. You are undercutting the reason we're fighting this war. Please knock it off."
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