One of the colder aspects of life in Washington politics is that the death of an important person often results, before much grieving is done, in a frenzy of speculation about who will get the unfortunate important person's job. So it is with South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, whose death set off an immediate "frenzy" of guessing who would fill his post both in the short and long term.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster answered the first part of the question quickly, appointing the late senator's sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to serve the remainder of Graham's term, which lasts until Jan. 3, 2027. The second answer, on who will be the next full-term senator from South Carolina, will come after a special primary in August and the general election in November.

People are still processing Graham's loss. Think back to some of the most momentous issues of the last several decades—the war in Iran, national security, judicial confirmations, budget battles, immigration and political fights going back to the impeachment of Bill Clinton. Graham, who, when he died, was chairman of the Senate Budget Committee but also earlier chaired the Judiciary Committee, was in the middle of them all. He was the face of the Republican Party in the Senate on many issues, and for many years, he was close to whoever was seen as the leader of the party.

But there is a larger story. Graham's death comes at a wrenching moment........

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