Washington (CNN) -- To Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine because the United States failed to avenge the 2012 terrorist attack that killed four Americans in Benghazi, Libya. "It started with Benghazi," Graham posted Tuesday on Twitter. "When you kill Americans and nobody pays a price, you invite this type of aggression." Nonsense, said Democratic strategist and CNN political contributor Paul Begala. "The whole notion that this is all about the United States or all about President Obama, it's frankly silly," Begala said Wednesday on CNN's "New Day." Such is the state of political discourse these days in the United States, where every issue -- particularly one that dominates media headlines -- becomes fair game for partisan attack.
@highlight
Foreign policy issues such as Ukraine prompt tough election-year rhetoric
@highlight
Analyst: "Republicans attack and Democrats sound defensive"
@highlight
Despite the point-scoring, both parties generally back the same approach
@highlight
GOP hawks use any issue to argue for halting or reversing cuts to defense spending
I don't think anybody anticipated that first there would be the overturning of the government in the @placeholder, and then the Russian response after that."