The sad news is less than an hour old as I write this. John McCain, Republican Senator from Arizona, has died of the vicious cancer that tortured him.McCain has been one of my representatives in the Senate for two years, since we moved here in 2016. I didn’t agree with much of what he espoused, but I never disrespected him for the positions he held, because he did so respectfully and with due diligence to arrive at his opinions.
After McCain was diagnosed with glioblastoma I wrote a piece about him for this publication, praising him for exhibiting the courage to vote against the volatile health care bill with his thumbs-down gesture, exhibiting the freedom that comes with the “nothing left to lose” sung about in Bobby McGee by Kris Kristofferson.
At that time, I revisited many of the significant events and outstanding qualities of character experienced and exhibited by this giant of the Senate. I don’t need to do so again. Tonight and in the coming days you will hear about them in glowing tributes to this man whose like is a dying breed.
It’s strange that just this morning, while we were enjoying a rousing time around the public pool where my grandsons were taking swimming lessons, my son Randy and I were commiserating that it seems to be a trend lately that when someone of note announces entry into hospice or the suspension of further treatment for a debilitating condition, that person is very close to death. We agreed that John McCain would probably be around for only a few more days. We sure didn’t guess it would be as quickly as later this same day that he would become part of a distinguished history for the state of Arizona and the country he served and loved so much.
Once again, I lack the right or ability to speak adequately of a man such as John McCain. It should rightfully be for those who knew and loved him best, his family, his colleagues, the press people who closely followed him, to eulogize him. As for me, I will let two instances in his own words speak to his humanity and depth of character.
The first, which you will certainly hear replayed in the ensuing days, is his response, in 2008 during the presidential campaign against Barack Obama, to a woman who said derisively that she could not trust Obama because he was an Arab.
“No, ma’am,” McCain said. “He’s a decent family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues, and that’s what this campaign is all about… I admire Sen. Obama and his accomplishments. I will respect him. I want everyone to be respectful, and let’s make sure we are, because that’s the way politics should be conducted in America.”
The second is from his most recent book, “The Restless Wave,” written after his fatal diagnosis, in which he pondered his mortality and his time on earth as an American.
“I made a small place for myself in the story of America and the history of my times. What an ingrate I would be to curse the fate that concludes the blessed life I’ve led. I prefer to give thanks for those blessings, and my love to the people who blessed me with theirs. The bell tolls for me. I knew it would… I hope those who mourn my passing, and even those who don’t, will celebrate as I celebrate a happy life lived in imperfect service to a country made of ideals, whose continued success is the hope of the world. And I wish all of you great adventures, good company, and lives as lucky as mine.”
Republican, Democrat, Socialist, Green… whatever your party or affiliation, the death of John McCain is a significant event in all of our lives, arguably equivalent to the death of a president. He stood for courage, honesty, civility, and informed decisions in order to serve this nation. He believed in cooperation and bipartisanship. He believed in high moral conduct and living an exemplary life despite what the fates had dealt him.
As we ponder his loss, so should we ponder which of his qualities we should strive to incorporate into our own hearts and souls.
Rest in peace, John McCain, thou fine and devoted son of America.
A true American hero. Thank you John for your service to America. RIP
Yes. Like his positions or not, McCain had the courage of his convictions. Many didn’t like his vote on the repeal of the the Affordable Health Care Act. He was outspoken in his belief that the ACA should be repealed and replaced. The no vote he did with the thumbs down gesture was because the repeal under consideration lacked replacement. Many of constituents – many Americans – greatly benefited from the provision of the ACA to allow dependents to remain insured under parental coverage up to age 26. The proposed action to which he voted against offered no replacement beyond “trust us, we’ll get to it in the fullness of time”. The protections for those with pre-existing conditions would also have been scrapped, again, without replacement. His vote reflected his belief that the ACA should have repealed AND replaced. He withstood a great deal of party pressure, but demonstrated doing what he thought was right. We could use more of that now. He put his country ahead of his party.
I honor Senator McCain for his service to the country and I have no doubt for his love of the United States. However, he should have made the switch to the Democrat party after his failed run for president in 2008. The only Republican on that ticket was Palin. He hated Bush, joined with Democrats more than opposed them and wanted the love and adulation of the media (fake news). The sad thing is he didn’t represent his constituants well. Hopefully his replacement will be a Conservstive Republican.