“When somebody yells ‘allahu akbar’ in the Middle East, I duck.”

Via The Hill:

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Monday said “allahu akbar” is a “war chant” that sends him running for cover.

“When somebody yells ‘allahu akbar’ in the Middle East, I duck,”  the senator said on Fox News radio.

“It’s not like ‘hey, how you doing Lindsey,’ ” he said on Fox News radio.

Graham was asked about the phrase, which translates to “God is Great,” in light of Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) remark that people shouldn’t find the phrase offensive.

“For someone to say ‘allahu akbar,’ it’s about as offensive as someone saying ‘thank god,’” McCain said earlier this month.

But Graham, who is a friend and ally of McCain’s, said he’s sees it differently.

“’Allahu akbar,’ I associate with a war chant,” Graham told host Brian Kilmeade. “It’s not exclusively owned by al Qaeda. I’ve seen people kill al Qaeda guys and yell ‘allahu akbar.’”

Should be amusing to watch Grahamnesty try and tack right before the primary election.