Sen. John McCain was one of a kind. He was grouchy, hilarious, self-deprecating, passionate, independent.
I was lucky enough to cover him starting in 2011. He was always a good sport.
Rest in peace.
I was lucky enough to cover him starting in 2011. He was always a good sport.
Rest in peace.
For me my most potent memory of John McCain will be him stepping off the train in the basement of the Capitol.
Half grin and half scowl:
"What do you want, you little jerks?"
Half grin and half scowl:
"What do you want, you little jerks?"
McCain once was in a terrible mood. Didn't like one of my questions and got up in my face before walking away.
He later cooled down.
Came back an hour after votes, looking for me to personally apologize.
That was the kind of man he was.
He later cooled down.
Came back an hour after votes, looking for me to personally apologize.
That was the kind of man he was.
Sen. McCain and I were once in a conference in Halifax right before Thanksgiving.
He said he wouldn't be deep frying a turkey that year because he had nearly set fire to his deck the year before.
"Of course," he said mischeviously, "I've seen worse deck fires."
He said he wouldn't be deep frying a turkey that year because he had nearly set fire to his deck the year before.
"Of course," he said mischeviously, "I've seen worse deck fires."
Sen McCain made these terrible dad jokes all the time. If you went to his speeches on a regular basis you would hear hem over and over. One of his faves:
"Some people ask me how I felt after losing to Obama. I told em I slept like a baby... woke up every two hours and cried."
"Some people ask me how I felt after losing to Obama. I told em I slept like a baby... woke up every two hours and cried."
In retrospect McCain also was able to have a sense of humor about being shot down in Vietnam:
"I intercepted a surface to air missile with my plane," he would joke. "That's not easy!"
"I intercepted a surface to air missile with my plane," he would joke. "That's not easy!"
McCain loved to spar with press.
But on many occasions he would suddenly stop speaking and head off in another direction
There would be a wounded warrior hoping to chat at the Capitol escalators
Bug off, I've got something more important right now, was the message he gave off
But on many occasions he would suddenly stop speaking and head off in another direction
There would be a wounded warrior hoping to chat at the Capitol escalators
Bug off, I've got something more important right now, was the message he gave off
John McCain, being retrieved from a lake in Hanoi after being shot down during the Vietnam War 
This is the museum that marks the Hanoi Hilton, the infamous jail where John McCain was tortured during the Vietnam War. I visited in December.
Despite the lasting wounds and suffering McCain would return to Vietnam to say he forgave his captors and express hope for peace
Despite the lasting wounds and suffering McCain would return to Vietnam to say he forgave his captors and express hope for peace
There's a monument in Hanoi at the lake where McCain was retrieved after being shot down. I was there in December.
It has wording which I'm sure would make the late senator laugh: it calls him an "air pirate"
It has wording which I'm sure would make the late senator laugh: it calls him an "air pirate"
This was another corny McCain joke that was his favorite
One of his many legislative achievements: blocking the use of torture by passing an amendment limiting interrogation techniques to those outlined in the U.S. Army field manual
Some might shake their head at the remembrances of John McCain and ask why he commands respect from reporters in D.C.
Many of them think of things where they disagree with him politically
The thing is that it was NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to know the man and not like him personally
Many of them think of things where they disagree with him politically
The thing is that it was NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE to know the man and not like him personally
He was just fun to cover.
Example:
Example:
"No ma'am."
I remember that well.
Among more personal reasons (they had their differences) McCain never forgot that Hagel had been wounded in Vietnam and still carried shrapnel in his body. McCain felt questioning Hagel's patriotism was beyond the pale
Among more personal reasons (they had their differences) McCain never forgot that Hagel had been wounded in Vietnam and still carried shrapnel in his body. McCain felt questioning Hagel's patriotism was beyond the pale
