Sen. Graham: I understand if President takes action without Congress; “the worst is yet to come”

On “New Day,” Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) discussed his meeting with President Obama on the next steps in the Syrian crisis. Given what he considers “really bad options,” Graham gave CNN’s Kate Bolduan his take on a solution: “degrade Assad” with a military strike and upgrade the rebel opposition forces. Senator Graham claimed that he would understand if the president moved forward without congressional approval, while stating that the situation has been severely mishandled by the administration. At the end of the interview, Graham ominously warned that “the worst is yet to come” and if America fails in Syria, “the whole region’s going to go down in flames.”

“This is about the most mismanaged situation I’ve ever seen since World War II, when they were trying to control the Nazis. This is bizarre,” Graham said. “Put yourself in the shoes of the average member of Congress. The public doesn’t understand our strategy. I’m trying, along with Senator McCain, to make sure we get Syria as right as possible given the really bad options.”

On the President taking action, Graham stated, “He has to make that decision as Commander in Chief, and I could understand why he would go forward without Congress.”

“New Day” airs weekday mornings from 6-9 a.m. ET on CNN.