This morning, during an appearance on CBS “This Morning,” Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina added his name to the growing list of GOP hopefuls who are eyeing the presidency, even though he won’t make it formal until June 1st.

“I will make an announcement on June 1st. You’re all invited to come — spend money when you do — and I will tell you what I’m going to do about running for president,” Graham said on CBS “This Morning.”

Although Graham initially declined to say if he is running when asked by the CBS hosts, he nonetheless indicated he is pursuing the GOP nomination – potentially declaring his candidacy ahead of schedule.

“I’m running because of what you see on television. I’m running because I think the world is falling apart. I’ve been more right than wrong on foreign policy,” Graham said. “It’s not the fault of others, their lack of this or that that makes me want to run. It’s my ability in my own mind to be a good commander in chief and to make Washington work. “

Graham has interesting credentials. He is the only candidate at the moment with any military (but not combat) experience, having served in the Air Force, Air National Guard, and Air Force Reserves as a lawyer and in the JAG Corps, and currently holds the rank of Colonel in the Air Force Reserves. He is a known “hawk” on foreign affairs, and has an ongoing argument with another presidential candidate, Senator Rand Paul, when it comes to the use of drones, and took another shot at him last Saturday in Iowa at the Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner.

Graham, who has made a habit of trolling the Kentucky senator, also mocked Paul’s focus on civil liberties, picking up on his statement that the federal government should still “call a lawyer” to get a warrant before arresting terrorists instead of illegally spying.
“I’m not going to call a judge,” said Graham. “I’m going to call a drone and kill you.”

However, Graham is notoriously weak when it comes to immigration, having already said that he favors amnesty, and supported President Obama’s executive amnesty by trying to pass funding for it.

Graham is among the GOP elite, and he probably feels like he’s served in the Senate long enough to ensure that he gets a shot at the nomination. But if the Republicans try playing the “whose turn is it now?” game again, they will lose. Seniority and slick credentials will not guarantee Lindsey Graham the nomination. At best, he gets his ego stroked while positioning himself for another job – perhaps in a future Republican administration. Is he a serious presidential candidate in the current field? Not in the least.