U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-Seneca, is a man to watch in the next two years. He intends to go someplace.

Where? Not quite sure yet.

A try for the White House in 2008 is a possibility. So is a bid for a top leadership position in the U.S. Senate.

His best chance? The latter.

The reason: Graham's from too small a state to make it to the White House. The Senate is usually the high-water mark in politics for small-state senators.

If Graham is to have a future in politics, his best bet is to become a major player in the Senate, experts say.

And he's positioned to do that.

Look at those who have become leaders in the Senate the past several years. They're all from less-populated states.

Bob Dole of Kansas. Bill Frist of Tennessee. Harry Reid of Nevada. Tom Daschle of South Dakota. Harry Byrd of West Virginia. Mike Mansfield of Montana.

They were Senate insiders who worked quietly behind the scenes to assist fellow senators. They collected political IOUs for their efforts. When it came time to seek a leadership position, they cashed in their chips.

Graham must decide who he wants to be - a high-profile senator constantly on the national TV news shows, or a senator who works behind the scenes to get things done in the Senate and ultimately is rewarded for his effort.

He's at a crossroads.

Opportunity will present itself the next two years if Graham secures the role of being the White House point man on Social Security, the issue on which President Bush wants to build his domestic legacy.

Graham must be careful as he performs a dual role, however. On one hand, he will be very public as he promotes the president's program. On the other, he must demonstrate great respect inside the Senate for those who aren't making the headlines but are doing the bulk of the work.

Running for president probably has more appeal. It feeds and satisfies the ego.

Graham isn't saying much about a presidential bid, although he does nothing to discourage such speculation.

He already has been to Iowa twice, once to address the state GOP convention this summer and once to speak to a Christian Coalition leadership conference last month.

Graham has to know he would be a long shot at best if he runs for president.

But give him credit. In two years in the Senate, he has accomplished more than one would expect for someone from small South Carolina.

He is media-savvy. He speaks in 30-second sound bites. He knows how to get to cameras before anyone else.

He's also an able person. But small-state senators have little, if any, chance of winning the presidential nomination. They are lucky if they even are considered to be someone's running mate.

As a senator, Graham has turned out to be a pleasant surprise, especially to Democrats who feared he would rubber-stamp everything President Bush offered.

"Lindsey Graham is a combination of Strom Thurmond's conservatism and Fritz Hollings' independence," says Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen, a Republican activist.

S.C. voters like that kind of senator - one who is a little bit unconventional, a straight talker, who is willing to take his lumps for standing up for what he believes.

Keep an eye on him.