South Carolina Sen. Graham dead at 71

Lindsey Graham, the garrulous son of South Carolina pool hall owners who rose to become a fixture on the global stage and one of the most prominent advocates of American military might in the U.S. Senate, died Saturday night after what his office called “a brief and sudden illness.” He was 71. A former military lawyer who reached the rank of colonel in the Air Force, the wisecracking Graham was known for his Southern drawl, political flexibility and reliably hawkish stance on foreign policy. He…