Lindsey Graham, This Year's Maverick (Published 2010)

Lindsey Graham, a senior U.S. senator from South Carolina, appears in a 2010 profile that recounts how he weighs conservative politics and Senate strategy. The piece describes Graham waking early in May in a vehicle, discussing fellow South Carolina conservatives who dislike him, including Tea Partiers, constitutionalists, and immigration hardliners. It centers on his handling of the Kerry-Lieberman climate-change proposal, which he called an “energy independence” bill, after attending 183 meetings and spending more than 120 scheduled Senate hours on it. In late April, Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled an immigration bill would take priority, leading Graham to withdraw as co-sponsor. The article says the two later exchanged harsh language during a phone call, and that Graham continued by adding his name in June to a more modest energy bill by Senator Richard Lugar, seeking broader support.