U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has a potential fallback career if this whole politics thing doesn't work out.

The Seneca Republican proved at the Columbia Rotary Club last week he'd make a fine comedian.

Among the highlights of his stand-up routine, er, speech:

- Graham recently moved into his permanent office space in Washington. For the first seven months of his term, he worked out of a temporary office in a double-wide trailer near the Capitol. "I was born in a single-wide, so I considered that a step up."

- Graham talked about his background as a lawyer and how he has handled many divorces. His first such case, however, was memorable. The man in Pickens County, where Graham was born, wanted a divorce, but he had a concern. Graham said the man asked, "If I get divorced, will she still be my cousin?"

- Trying to estimate growth or shrinkage of the federal deficit with any accuracy is "a legal form of voodoo," Graham said. "Nobody can really tell you what will happen this afternoon."

- He called the inheritance tax, also known as the death tax, "a form of socialism," and said it's going to be phased out by 2009. "You just have to live until then," he said.

- Along the same lines, he said the marriage penalty should go, too. "Marriage is an interesting idea," Graham said. "I haven't gotten there myself. But it seems if you're married, that's hard enough. We shouldn't tax you extra."

Thanks, you've been great. Don't forget to tip your waitresses, and stick around for the 4 o'clock show.