U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham sworn in as Air Force judge

AP via The State (SC Newspaper) ^ | 11/5/03 | AP

[wimpycat]

COLUMBIA, S.C. - U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has been sworn in as a reserve appellate military judge on the U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.

Graham is the only member of the U.S. Senate to serve in either a guard or reserve unit. He holds the rank of lieutenant colonel.

The court of criminal appeals is the highest judicial body within the Air Force. The court reviews and hears appeals of convictions by court-martial within the Air Force.

"It is a great honor and privilege to have been selected to serve on the Air Force Criminal Court of Appeals," Graham said. "Over the past twenty years, the fine men and women of the United States Air Force have had a great impact on my life and I am excited about the opportunity to continue my service in this capacity."

Graham joined the U.S. Air Force in 1982 and was assigned as an assistant staff judge advocate at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter. He was selected in 1983 to be the area defense counsel at Shaw, where he served one year.

He then served as a circuit trial counsel and was transferred to the Rhein-Main Air Base in Germany. Graham left active duty in 1988, established a private law practice and began serving in the South Carolina Air National Guard.

After Graham was elected to Congress in 1995, he joined the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

[NYC GOP Chick]

Well, at least I didn't take a pic of his butt, or anything like that! ;)

[wimpycat]

It would have been a futile effort, anyway. You can't get a decent butt shot of anybody in a suit. If you can, then it's a lousy suit. :-)

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Maybe he has a cute butt that could redeem his bald spot!

[NYC GOP Chick]

Well, he was on the phone most of the time, so I really couldn't have asked him to lift his jacket! ;)

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Ping!

[Donna Lee Nardo]

If you had, he might have thought you wanted him to show you his thong!!!! He might have ended up with a flashback to the Ken Starr report!

[NYC GOP Chick]

Thong?! I *really* don't want that image seared into my mind's eye...

[wimpycat]

Now that mental image is gross and uncalled for, LOL!

This thread is going in a direction I certainly didn't anticipate, but I'm going to bed anyway, so...enjoy!

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Okay, I'll behave. :)

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Okay, I'll behave. :)

[potlatch]

Wish I had your bandswidth or whatever! I posted one large gif early tonight and my lousy 5.MB's got used up and now it's a red X!!

[NYC GOP Chick]

Good idea -- at least in public! Feel free to FReepmail the other stuff. ;)

[wimpycat]

I forgot to tell you last night, but I bought the DVD you recommended, the HBO special on 9/11. You were right; it's very moving.

[NYC GOP Chick]

I'm glad you got to see it -- that was probably the one that most closely shows what it was like to be there that morning. Nothing, of course, really comes close, but that one does the best job.

[BlueNgold]

The Military Court of Appeals is in fact subordinate to the Federal Court of Appeals. It is not a stand alone system. Federal Circuit courts do have jurisdiction on appellate matters. I am not overly concerned, but I do believe the question should be asked if for no other reason than to protect Sen. Graham. I am fairly certain that at some point he will hear a case and join an opinion that is then appealed... and that process will cause the libDems to raise a firestorm of questions and accusations. I would rather ask and answer these questions on the front end than give the libDems ammunition to be used later. Questions of Ethics and Conflict of Interest should be raised up front, considered, and decided, thus preventing problems down the road.

I am also concerned that public statements made by the Senator and votes he cast may cause him to be ineligible to hear some cases.

For example: a detainee at Gitmo is brought to trial at a military tribunal. His case is appealed to the MCoA. Sen. Graham having cast a vote in favor of the Patriot Act, and having made public statements in support of the war may face conflict issues in being allowed to sit on that case. It may NOT be a problem, but then again it might .... I want 'our guys' to handle these kinds of things on the front end. Do the right thing, ask all the right questions from the start, and leave a public record so that future challenges are mitigated or diffused.

[dwd1]

I think it is an admirable goal trying to avoid the appearance of impropriety...

[dwd1]

You would not believe how much hate and discontent one can receive when asking questions around here...

BTW... Being that he is in the Air Force Court of Military Appeals, would that not limit him to issues regarding Air Force Personnel .... I think you raise a good point but being that the Air Force is most likely not the service with personnel primarily responsible for such operations, he will be out of the loop on that one.... Now where the potential trouble can occur is that there has been a trend toward reviewing with great scrutiny "friendly fire " deaths like what happened with the Canadian troops last year... So the implications regarding foreign relations, status of forces agreements, violations of no fly zone patrolling policies.... There is a possibility of trouble there... You are correct in recommending vigilance...