Sen. Graham: Libya is "exhibit A of a failed foreign policy"

Graham said that evidence is "overwhelming" that there was no riot. He said he was briefed by members of the intelligence community who are on the ground in Libya and was told that it was a "sustained attack that lasted for six or eight hours, using heaving weapons."

On "Face the Nation" Sunday, Graham said he believes the administration knew "within 24 hours" that the attacks in Benghazi that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, were coordinated and were conducted by an al Qaeda-associated group.

Five days after the attack, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said there is no evidence "at present" that proves the attack was "premeditated or preplanned."

A few days later, President Obama called the incident a terrorist attack.

Graham said the Obama administration tried to blame the attacks on an American-made anti-Muslim video, which had prompted violent demonstrations across the Muslim world, because they are "trying to sell a narrative" that fits into their message that al Qaeda is on the decline.

"They're trying to sell a narrative, quite frankly, that the Middle East, the wars are receding and al Qaeda's been dismantled," Graham said. "I think they have been misleading us, but it finally caught up with them."

Graham added that he has "seen this movie before."

"I went to Iraq in 2004 and everybody told me things are going fine. Iraq was falling apart, and you couldn't get the truth from the Bush administration," Graham said.

"[T]he truth is, we're not safer. Al Qaeda is alive. Bin Laden may be dead, [but] al Qaeda is alive, and they're counter-attacking throughout the entire region," Graham said.

The South Carolina senator called Libya "exhibit A of a failed foreign policy."

"And the truth is that the foreign policy choices of President Obama is allowing the region to come unraveled," he added.

Graham said Iraq hosts twice the number of al Qaeda operatives since the U.S. left, and cited Iran's use of Iraqi airspace to deliver weapons in Syria, and the massacre of Syrian citizens by its leader, President Bashar al-Assad, as signs.

"The whole region s about to explode; al Qaeda is on the march," Graham said.