Graham talks trade, currency, and war

President Obama is returning home today from his multi-national trip in Asia. Senator Lindsey Graham told ABC’s “This Week” that the president’s trip didn’t accomplish as much as it should have.

This was disappointing meetings. We need a trade agreement with Korea, we need to fight back against China currency manipulation, and I think you’re gonna see the Congress get more involved on the currency front, after this trip.

Graham says Obama’s meetings should have focused more on trade and currency.

On a separate topic, The Washington Post reports Afghan President Hamid Karzai would like U.S. military to stop staging night raids in his country.

After a trip to Afghanistan and Iraq, Senator Lindsey Graham detailed his trip and his view on night raids.

There was no discussion about a difference of Patreaus and Karzai in terms of strategy, and I would add this: If we could not use night raids with our Afghan partners, then that’s a big loss in terms of security.

Karzai reportedly has said the raids are bothersome to him and if they continue, it could cause some Afghans to join the Taliban. Graham told ABC News he was stunned by the news and the subject matter was never brought up during his visit.

We were briefed by our military commanders that the night raids are, we own the night military, are making huge impacts on the Taliban, the insurgency as a whole, and we’re having Afghan partners. This didn’t come up at all.

Graham had a dinner with a congressional delegation, General Patreaus and President Karzai.