OPEN THREAD: GOP Kids' Table Debate

Watch along and weigh in here during the Kids' Table Debate, which begins at 5PM eastern. This and the later debate at 9PM will be streamed live at Fox News, but you'll need your cable system login to watch.

Graham: Pregame For The Trump Debacle And Watch My Happy Hour Debate

Graham apparently doesn't care for the "kids table" name.

Sen. Lindsey Graham Demonstrates How To Destroy A Trump-Ruined Cell Phone

Tweet Of The Day - Lindsey Graham

Donald Trump Gives Out Lindsey Graham's Personal Number During Press Conference

Reporters are saying that calls to the number are going directly to voicemail. Well, sure. NOW they do.

Lindsey Graham Strikes Conciliatory Note On Marriage: Let's Move On

"I am a proud defender of traditional marriage and believe the people of each state should have the right to determine their marriage laws. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that state bans on gay marriage are unconstitutional, and I will respect the Court's decision. Furthermore, given the quickly changing tide of public opinion on this issue, I do not believe that an attempt to amend the U.S. Constitution could possibly gain the support of three-fourths of the states or a supermajority in the U.S. Congress. Rather than pursing a divisive effort that would be doomed to fail, I am committing myself to ensuring the protection of religious liberties of all Americans. No person of faith should ever be forced by the federal government to take action that goes against his or her conscience or the tenets of their religion. As president, I would staunchly defend religious liberty in this nation and would devote the necessary federal resources to the protection of all Americans from any effort to hinder the free and full exercise of their rights. While we have differences, it is time for us to move forward together respectfully and as one people." - Sen. Lindsey Graham, via press release.

Sen. Lindsey Graham: When I'm Elected, My Female Friends (In Canada) Will Act As Our "Rotating First Ladies"

Politico reports:

Unmarried Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham says that if he becomes president, he will have a “rotating first lady.” “Well, I’ve got a sister. She could play that role if necessary,” the 59-year-old South Carolinian presidential hopeful told Daily Mail Online in an interview published Tuesday. “I’ve got a lot of friends. We’ll have a rotating first lady,” he added. His sister, Darline Graham Nordone, resides in South Carolina with her husband and two daughters from previous marriages, suggesting that she would not be able to be in Washington all the time.

Historically, in the absence of a FLOTUS, daughters, sisters and other female relatives have filled the role. Graham would be the first bachelor in the White House since Woodrow Wilson, whose first wife Ellen died in 1914, just a year into his presidency. (Wilson later married Edith Bolling Galt in 1915, who herself assumed an important role in the executive branch when her husband had a severe stroke in 1919.) There have only been two presidents who were unmarried when taking the oath of office: James Buchanan and Grover Cleveland. The 49-year-old Cleveland later married 21-year-old Frances Folsom in 1886 while in office; Buchanan remained a bachelor.

Graham went on to say that his White House will be more friendly and welcoming than that of the "distant" Obamas.

Sen. Lindsey Graham: Caitlyn Jenner Is Welcome In The Republican Party

Via The Hill:

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) says Caitlyn Jenner is welcome in the Republican Party. In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” that aired Sunday, the presidential candidate commented on Jenner, formerly Bruce, who recently made her debut after completing a gender transition. “If Caitlyn Jenner wants to be safe and have a prosperous economy, vote for me. I’m into addition. I haven’t walked in her shoes. I don’t have all the answers to the mysteries of life. I can only imagine the torment that Bruce Jenner went through. I hope she has found peace,” Graham said. “I’m a pro-life, traditional marriage kind of guy. But I’m running to be president of the United States. If Caitlyn Jenner wants to be a Republican, she is welcome in my party,” he added.

Lindsey Graham: I've Got More National Security Experience Than Hillary Clinton

Also: "I'll be a voice for social conservative values without apology or animosity."

In Their Own Words: HRC Recaps Anti-Gay Positions Of Graham And Santorum

Lindsey Graham To Announce Bid Today

Graham will bring the number of declared GOP candidates to eight. Rick Perry will make it nine later this week. Still to declare: Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush.

Lindsey Graham To Announce 2016 Bid

Via the Washington Post:

Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), who in recent months has moved closer to running for president, announced Monday on CBS "This Morning" that he will announce if he will make a White House bid on June 1 from South Carolina. Graham formed an exploratory committee, Security Through Strength, in January and has been staffing it as he prepares for what looks increasingly like it will become a full-fledged run for president. Graham told South Carolina state lawmakers last week that he's "99.9 percent sure" he's going to run. If Graham runs, he is likely to center his campaign around the theme of national security. He is among the most hawkish figures in the Republican Party and already has secured the support of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a close friend and fellow hawk.

Lindsey Graham: If SCOTUS Rules For Gay Marriage, Republicans Must Move On

Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is due to join the GOP 2016 clown car, said yesterday that if the Supreme Court rules in favor of same-sex marriage, it will be "time for us to move forward as a society." Graham added that he doesn't see any way for a federal ban on same-sex marriage to be passed.

Fox News Anchor To Lindsey Graham: Why Haven't You Ever Gotten Married?

Graham's response doesn't really answer the question. He also says that he is "91% sure" that he will be running for president and will make his announcement next month.

Sen. Lindsey Graham: As President I'd Use The Military To Force Congress To Reverse Cuts To Defense Spending

"Here is the first thing I would do if I were President of the United States: I wouldn’t let Congress leave town until we fix this. I would literally use the military to keep them in if I had to. We’re not leaving town until we restore these defense cuts. We’re not leaving town until we restore the intel cuts." - Sen. Lindsey Graham, speaking to a group of South Carolina Republicans.

LIVE VIDEO: Tony Perkins Speaks To Senate Committee About Religious Liberty

Watch it here. (Tipped by JMG reader Kyle)

Lindsey Graham Jokes About Pelosi's "Surgeries" Then Fauxpologizes On Fox

Senate Panel Approves Nomination Of Loretta Lynch As Attorney General

Via the New York Times:

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved Loretta E. Lynch to be the next attorney general, sending her nomination to the full Senate for what is likely to be a contentious vote. The panel voted 12 to 8 to advance Ms. Lynch, President Obama’s pick to replace Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. as the nation’s top law enforcement official, with all of the votes against her coming from Republicans. The full Senate will most likely vote in the next week or two. While praising Ms. Lynch’s credentials, Republicans made it clear that their objections to her nomination hinged on her belief in the legality of the president’s executive action on immigration, the same issue that has tied up the approval of funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

Republicans voting against: Grassley, Sessions, Cornyn, Lee, Cruz, Vitter, Purdue, Tillis. Republicans voting for: Graham, Flake, Hatch. The Tea People are already calling for the heads of the three "yes" voters.

Sen. Lindsey Graham To AG Nominee Loretta Lynch: What's The Difference Between Gay Marriage And Polygamy?

Via Mediaite:

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) got down to the nitty-gritty in the Senate Judiciary confirmation hearings for Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch, asking Eric Holder’s potential replacement to explicate the constitutional difference between gay marriage and polygamy. “What’s the legal difference between a ban on same-sex marriage being unconstitutional but a ban on polygamy being constitutional? Could you try to articulate how one could be banned under the constitution and the other not?” “Well, senator, I have not been involved in the argument or analysis of the cases that have gone before the Supreme Court,” Lynch replied. “And I’m not comfortable undertaking legal analysis without having had the ability to undertake a review of the relevant facts and the precedent there. So I certainly would not be able to provide you with that analysis at this point in time, but I look forward to continuing the discussions with you.”

The marriage bit is in the final minute of the clip below, but you might be interested in all of Graham's questioning.

More 2016 Talk From Lindsey Graham

"If I do it, I'll be on all the ballots. I'm not doing it to make a statement. I'm doing it to challenge the country and offer what I have to offer to the American people and my party."