John S. McCain, the proud naval aviator who climbed from depths of despair as a prisoner of war in Vietnam to pinnacles of power as a Republican congressman and senator from Arizona and a two-time contender for the presidency, died on Saturday at his home in Arizona. He was 81.If there was one moment when he showed his political character, it was when he refused to pander to a display of nativist bigotry during his `08 campaign:
[W]hen a woman said she did not trust Mr. Obama because “he’s an Arab,” Mr. McCain, in one of the most lauded moments of his campaign, replied: “No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues.”I have disagreed with McCain on a lot of issues. But there was no doubt that McCain was grounded in patriotism, a sense of duty, and love of country.
Rest in peace, Senator.
His final consequential act as a senator saved my and millions of other Americans' health insurance for a while. And he hated the ACA, but knew the right thing when he saw it and did that.
ReplyDeleteI see that Bush and Obama have written praise for him, but I haven't read them yet.
We are in dire need of Republicans like John McCain right now, and from what I can see, there just aren't any.
And I agree with you about that moment on the '08 campaign trail. That displayed a specie of grace that is rarely found in politics.
-Doug in Oakland