Lindsey Graham vows to engage in tough diplomacy: 'Make me commander in chief and this crap stops!'

BOULDER, Colo. — A shouting Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., vowed to put an end to the “crap” he said has occurred as a result of President Obama’s foreign policy at the CNBC Republican presidential debate Wednesday evening.

“The party’s over to all the dictators! Make me commander in chief and this crap stops!” Graham declared.

Graham, a prominent foreign policy hawk in the Senate, was participating in an early debate featuring the four candidates coming in last in polls of the main GOP field. He was joined by former New York Gov. George Pataki, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

Moderator Jim Cramer provoked Graham’s impassioned indictment of Obama when he asked the senator whether foreign policy plans outlined by the other candidates were “tough” enough. Graham responded by listing off a series of instances where he felt Obama hasn’t taken a strong enough diplomatic stance.

“Here’s the problem, we’re being walked all over because our commander in chief is weak in the eyes of our enemies. Do 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?” Graham asked. “’Cause 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.”

Graham went on to suggest that Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton is the wrong choice for voters because she helped craft Obama’s policy during her time leading the State Department.

“The last person you want to find to replace his foreign policy is his secretary of state,” Graham said. “So to the Chinese, when it comes to dealing with me, you’ve got a clenched fist or an open hand. You pick!”