WASHINGTON — When it comes to combating global warming, Sen. Lindsey Graham is right where he loves to be — ahead of the curve, in the mix on a major issue, at the table for high-level, bipartisan talks behind closed doors.

Graham, a South Carolina Republican, is working with Democratic Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut to craft a climate change bill.

They face the dual challenge of overcoming widespread GOP opposition and withstanding relentless attacks by Big Oil and allied energy interests.

"Our goal is to create a vision that not only will help this planet — which I think is in peril — but will create millions of new jobs for Americans who need them, and help us become energy independent to make us safer," Graham told a crowded Capitol Hill news conference Wednesday.

Kerry, Lieberman and Graham held private meetings with Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and former EPA chief Carol Browner, now President Barack Obama's top adviser on climate change.

"We will be working closely with the White House over the course of the next weeks, with a view of trying to pull together ... a piece of legislation that we hope could get the 60 (Senate) votes necessary to pass" and avoid a filibuster, Kerry said.

Graham has tried to woo other Republicans with warnings that the Environmental Protection Agency will impose draconian regulations if Congress fails to act.

And he's stressed the national security threat of continuing to import oil from hostile Middle East countries.

"I think most Americans — Republicans, independents or Democrats — really feel uncomfortable with the fact that our nation sends a billion dollars a day overseas to buy foreign oil from some countries who don't like us very much," Graham said.

"Part of this initiative is to create a vision for energy independence and marry it up with responsible climate control," he said.

Graham had GOP partners in his previous bipartisan initiatives on immigration, judges and other issues.

Now, in accepting cap-and-trade limits on carbon emissions, Graham stands alone — though he says "a handful" of Republican senators back him but aren't ready to make public commitments.

In a move that stunned some of his GOP Senate colleagues — and angered many of his constituents back home — Graham joined Kerry last month in publishing a New York Times op-ed column on global warming.

The two senators sketched out a rough deal: Republicans would accept a cap-and-trade system of lowering carbon emissions in exchange for Democrats signing off on more nuclear power and expanded offshore drilling for oil and natural gas.

"We speak with one voice in saying that the best way to make America stronger is to work together to address an urgent crisis facing the world," they wrote.

For partnering with Kerry, a liberal who ran against President George W. Bush in 2004, Graham endured shouts of "Traitor!" and other verbal abuse at a recent town hall meeting in Greenville.

A Washington group with oil industry ties ran TV and radio ads against Graham in South Carolina, compelling the senator to marshal a show of support from business, military and business leaders in the state.

"Lindsey has been visionary and courageous," Kerry told McClatchy. "He's playing a very important role and showing real leadership."

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