Graham spoke truth to power when no one would listen
“If he wasn’t around, I could always ask myself, ‘What would Bob Graham do in this situation?’ ”
— Jim Eaton, Graham’s legislative affairs director from 1981-83
When I think of Bob Graham, the first word that comes to mind is “regret.”
Regret that we lost a giant who could have put this country on a far different path than it’s taken since Sept. 11, 2001, and regret that most Americans did not see the same leader that many of us who covered him were able to witness during his evolution from a popular, two-term Florida governor to the outspoken Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee during 9/11 and beyond.
Bob Graham was a leader who could have saved countless lives and avoided a generation of misery if only his voice weren’t drowned out by the hawks in the White House and Capitol Hill who belittled him during a time when Americans were ready to wage war on anyone and everyone.
As leader of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the early 2000s, Graham was a rare voice of authority who spoke out loudly against the invasion of Iraq and was ridiculed for daring to tell the truth.
As Chairman of the Intel Committee, he was in a unique position to warn us about the folly of abandoning the fight against Al Qaeda to wage war against Iraq. It turns out, he was one of only a few elected officials who had actually read the National Intelligence Assessment on Iraq. Despite the lies coming from neo-cons and others in the Bush administration, he knew that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with Al Qaeda or 9/11. He also knew of the dangerous, sectarian divisions in that country and how American troops could find themselves trapped in a decade-long civil war. He demanded real evidence — not lies — that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.
As we know, that evidence never came because Iraq did not possess those weapons. And as we also know, the Iraq war became one of the most tragic foreign policy blunders in American history.
Graham did what patriots are supposed to do. He spoke truth to power at a time when virtually no one would listen.
As a journalist, I followed Graham’s political career from his time as governor, where he achieved major successes in public education, the environment and the economy, through the more turbulent post-9/11 years. Of course, there were times when he wasn’t pleased with a story or editorial. But he understood the importance of a free press and he was a fierce advocate of our role in a Democratic republic. A far cry from the divisive, threatening rhetoric from Donald Trump and others from the far right who wouldn’t blink at trying to criminalize reporters for simply doing their jobs.
Jim Eaton, Graham’s legislative affairs director from 1981-83, had a ringside seat to his battles and leadership style.
Eaton, who lost his father at age 15, said Graham became a mentor.
“He took me under his wing at age 28 and helped me throughout my life,” Eaton said. “If he wasn’t around, I could always ask myself, ‘What would Bob Graham do in this situation?’ The answer always started with doing what’s right, doing what’s in everyone’s best interest, and not being mean-spirited. He always said you needed to end up in a place where you could look in the mirror and be proud of yourself.
“During meetings, if someone suggested retribution for a perceived wrong, Graham would step in immediately. He didn’t believe in having enemies or using power (which he said belonged to the people of Florida — not to him) to punish opponents.”
History will look kindly on Graham not only for his successes as governor, but also because he was courageous enough to tell the truth at a very vulnerable and critical time in his nation’s history — and pay the political price for doing so.