Lindsey Graham shines at undercard debate

In introducing themselves, several Republican candidates for president are genuflecting at Ronald Reagan’s tomb, not far from the library where they are debating.

The main debate starts very soon.

Tempers flared as the candidates debated what to do about illegal immigration, Trump’s signature issue.

Graham said blame rests with President Obama. But most Americans understand that to be a flawed interpretation of the US rule of law.

Tapper followed that up by asking Santorum about…Donald Trump.

Bobby Jindal is clearly in a fighting mood, and he has to be. Trump, Jindal said, does not believe in liberalism or conservatism.

Donald Trump isn’t in the second-tier GOP presidential debate but he’s still dominating it. “He will do for America what he did for Atlantic City and that is not someone who we will nominate”.

A pillar of the establishment wing of the party, Graham has always been a controversial figure among some in the GOP, who dub him “Lindsey Grahamnesty”.

In what is likely their final moments on an official debate stage, they tried valiantly to attract attention. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., answers a question during the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Wednesday, September 16, 2015, in Simi Valley, Calif. “I wish the Senate Republicans had half the fight in them the Democrats did”, Jindal said. And shutting down the government in an attempt to defund Planned Parenthood?

Graham and Pataki said it’s impractical to deport all estimated 11 million people who are in the country illegally. “I’m not going to do that”.

The line of the night might have came when Graham referenced the virility of the late pro-segregation Sen.

Instead, Fiorina calls Trump a “wonderful man”, adding that “all of us will be revealed over time and under pressure”. “I’m trying to lead this party into winning”.

Graham, who has championed comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship, brought the crowd to roars when he said: “Strom Thurmond had four kids after age 67”. Graham noted that President George W. Bush garnered a strong segment of the Latino vote – something the GOP has since failed to do.

“I’ve been in the military 33 years, 140 days on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan”, Graham said. I’ll be back with a post-mortem on that later this evening. And he doesn’t actually need to win the presidency to do that – he just needs to get the other candidates to agree with him. “They work in that business”.

Santorum, who supports slowing legal immigration, says, “American workers are being hurt by immigration”. To which Pataki responded: “Wow”.

He says with desperation in his voice: “People want to know what we’re going to do to fix this place”.