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.

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 writing an op-ed column on global warming that was published in The New York Times.

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.