Bob Graham: modest, cautious, and loyal -- words often used to describe him during much of his political career.

Graham served as chair of the senate intelligence committee for 10 years and presided as Co Chair of the House-Senate Joint Inquiry into the

Intelligence Committee failures prior to 9/11.

Many who know him well say that it was

the time as Chair of the Intelligence committee that

transformed him from cautious and low key, to one of

the most outspoken critics of President Bush and the

failures of the US Intelligence community.

Six years after 9/11, I met Senator Graham

to discuss a variety of issues ranging from the US

Intelligence community’s failings and the state of our

National security, to the war in Iraq and the 2008 presidential election.

Graham, in his long-running political career

has never lost a race. He is one of the most successful

politicians in the state of Florida. “I believe in the

principle if you do a good job, voters will give you a

chance to continue,” said Graham. My accomplishments

while I was in office were the improvements of

education, economy, and environment in the state.”

Senator Bob Graham was known as a middle

of the road politician. As a result of his work in the

Senate, Graham became convinced that September 11

and the Iraqi war could have been avoided. He was one

of the few senators to vote against the war in Iraq.

“I thought the greater enemy to the U.S was

not Saddam Hussein but was Al Qaeda and other

groups that had demonstrated the will and the presence

inside the U.S to successfully attack. I though that the

information presented by the president and administration

was very unconvincing.” said Graham.

Six years after 9/11, many question whether

this war has really made America safer. Graham

believes that “The war in Iraq has made America less

safe; it has allowed our principal enemy to escape. We

almost had Bin Ladin in late 2001 then we allowed

him to escape.”

The Bush administration’s war on terrorism

has been the focus of his presidency, but has it addressed

some of the most immediate dangers that this

country faces today? Across the nation many have

raised concerns about the safety of US ports and borders

and whether they are adequately protected.

“Our sea ports and borders are not secure.

They have not become any more secure since 9/11. We

have made our national security policy based out of the

rearview mirror, which is where we see planes crashing

into big buildings. The Bush administration needs to

focus on what is most likely to happen instead of what

has happened,” said Graham.

“I visited Port Manatee in Florida and opened my eyes

to the fact that millions of cargo containers are entering

the United Stated uninstructed and unsecured upon

arrival,” said Graham.

As a result, he proposed a bill to secure

American sea ports. This bill passed in December 2001

but has been left under-funded and ignored by the

Bush administration.

Bob Graham’s book, Intelligence Matters,

examines our intelligence agencies’ failings and their

ability to “connect the dots,” or adapt to the new

threats presented by global terrorism.

“Intelligence Matters was written to be a recitation

of the events I experienced from the summer of

2001 to the summer of 2004, particularly 9/11 and the

war in Iraq,” Graham writes on his website.

“All of these issues still have not been resolved,”

said the former senator. “The biggest problem

is that we don’t have enough people that have the

language and cultural background to work effectively

in areas where threats are most likely to occur.”

Both the FBI and the CIA are combating

these threats, spending more than 1.5 million dollars in

a campaign to recruit Arabic speaking agents.

As the United States gets ready to elect its

next president, the questions of the war with Iraq and

terrorist threats are on the minds of every American.

Many people question whether Hillary Clinton

is the Democratic Party’s strongest candidate.

“Hillary Clinton may well be the strongest

competitor to win the democrats’ nomination. It’s hers

to lose. I have not endorsed anyone yet. I may endorse

somebody before the Florida primary,” said Graham.

In the 2004 presidential elections John Kerry

considered Senator Graham as his vice presidential

running mate. Graham, with his extensive National

security experience, has been mentioned as a possible

member of the Cabinet in the Democratic Administration.

“My feeling is if the candidate of your party

asks you to run, you don’t really have the option to say

no. I also believe that democrats will win the election

in November unless we do something to snatch defeat

from the jaws of victory.”

After his retirement from the U.S. Senate,

Graham founded two centers to train future political

leaders one at the University of Miami and one at the

University of Florida.

He believes that the next generation can turn

this country around and founded these centers in hope

that they will train our next leaders because he believes

that “Democracy is not a spectator’s sport. It’s not

intended for people to just sit on the side lines and

complain about things.”