It’s tempting in these perilous times to say bad things about Republican leaders who have died. Trump has no trouble demeaning and ridiculing opponents who have passed. But Trump shouldn’t be our guide on this or anything else.

One of the best things I can say about Graham is that he counseled Trump to remain supportive of Ukraine, even when Trump wanted to abandon the nation. Graham had been one of Ukraine’s staunchest backers in Washington. He died just hours after returning from Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky. He told reporters in Kyiv on Friday that a bipartisan group of senators had reached an agreement with the White House to impose new sanctions on Russia in an effort to end that country’s long-running war with Ukraine.

I’ve criticized Graham as an opportunist and worse. I remember being impressed with the position he took in 2106, when he was one of the few Republicans to say publicly that Trump was unfit to serve as president. Then, after Trump won the Republican nomination, Graham chose to vote for third-party candidate Evan McMullin rather than Trump.

Yet Graham emerged as one of Trump’s key Senate supporters, defending Trump’s conduct and policies. After Trump was accused of inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, Graham argued that Trump should not be impeached.

Where is the line between opportunism and pragmatism? After the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, Graham appeared to break with Trump, saying on the Senate floor, “Count me out. Enough is enough.” A few months later, he acknowledged Trump’s continued hold over the Republican Party. “Can we move forward without President Trump? The answer is no,” he said. “I’ve determined we can’t grow without him.”...