Lindsey Graham to Americans Sick of Endless Wars: "Don't Vote for Me"

Lindsey Graham wants your vote, sure, but not nearly as much as he wants to launch a massive new war in the Middle East.

The South Carolina senator and Republican presidential candidate was achingly clear about his priorities during an interview on Fox News on Thursday, telling Fox & Friends co-host Steve Doocy that voters who aren't ready to start shipping American ground forces into Iraq and Syria should support someone else.

"I'm trying to tell the American people and the Republican primary voter, the only way I know to defend this country is to send some of us back to Iraq and eventually to Syria," said Graham, who was a commissioned Air Force pilot, but never saw actual combat.

When Doocy suggested that maybe this was "a tough message, because a lot of people are just worn out by war," the senator provided those with doubts or concerns with a simple instruction: "Don't vote for me."

"Because I'm telling you what's coming," Graham said. "Barack Obama's policies of leading from behind are going to allow another 9/11 ... [the Islamic State] is large, rich, they're entrenched. If I'm president they will be poor, small and on the run. And that means we got to work with the regional forces that exist, go in on the ground and destroy this Caliphate."

So, that's settled.

The full clip is below. Fast forward to the 3:38 mark for the tough talk: 

h/t Mediaite