Some thoughts on John McCain ... whatever one thinks about him as a politician (more on that in a second), his courage during the Vietnam War is unparalleled and awe-inspiring.
Every accolade that he receives as a hero because of his actions during his 5 1/2 years in captivity is richly deserved. For that alone he should be considered a heroic figure and a truly great American.
In some respects, I think McCain's most noble public act was his efforts - along with John Kerry - to open diplomatic relations with Vietnam in the 1990s. And I don't think he gets nearly enough credit for it.
And there's a reason why so many people loved and admired him. He had a genuineness, a wicked sense of humor, and a level of candor that resonated.
But, if were being honest - and I mean, "John McCain honest" - he was far less courageous in his life as a politician. One thing that I find so striking about McCain is so many of the courageous/mavericky political acts that people point to ... came after he did the wrong thing
He supported campaign finance reform ... after getting caught in the Keating 5 scandal.
He came out and apologized for equivocating on the Confederate flag issue during the 2000 primary South Carolina ... but only after the fact.
He was a courageous, no vote on Obamacare repeal ... after voting against Obamacare in 2009 and, even worse, contributing to the worsening political polarization of the Obama year
He would end up later saying that he should have picked Joe Lieberman as his running mate in 2008 ... but he did select Sarah Palin and never really took responsibility for that decision, which in some respects helped get us Donald Trump
Whatever you think of McCain, even if you love him, the choice of Palin is a black stain on his record that can never quite be washed off.
He took away his endorsement of Trump after the Access Hollywood tape emerged in October 2016 ... but up the point had continued to support him, even though Trump had mocked his service as a POW. Had McCain done the right thing & endorsed Hillary who knows how 2016 turns out
Then there is the fact that McCain was an unreconstructed hawk who supported every military intervention of the last 25 years. Yes, he would later be a brave voice against torture in the US Senate ... but that can't quite wash away the stink of having supported the Iraq War
The thing about McCain that always stuck out to me was how so much of his behavior was motivated by anger. He was a thorn in the side to W in 2001-2003 because he was pissed about losing the nomination to him.
He was a thorn in the side to Obama because he was furious over losing the 2008 election. He dropped the anvil on Obamacare repeal, in part I'm sure, because of his personal antipathy toward Trump
But above all, McCain's anger seemed to manifest itself the greatest when it came to his own perceived inadequacies. When he didn;t live up to the image he'd constructed of himself or the honor that he believed his public service should embody he would, in effect, beat himself up
In some ways, McCain was poorly cast a politician. He was raised with a sense of military honor and probity that didn't befit a life in politics and certainly not GOP politics.
All of this is to say we do no justice to McCain's life to treat him like a saint. He wasn't one. He was a flawed and complicated man - equally courageous and self-serving. Always reflective
Our politics was unquestionably richer by having him in our public life and while I rarely agreed with him ... I will dearly miss him. He was an interesting man and there are few better words that can be said about a person when they die
Oh and one more thing. There are a lot of terrible things that Donald Trump has said and done. But denigrating John McCain's experience as a POW ranks up there as among the worst.
When you think about what John McCain was subjected to ... for anyone, particularly a person seeking to be president, to make fun of it is just so beyond the pale.
That Trump's candidacy survived that statement & that the same partisans who voted for McCain in 2008, voted for Trump in 2016 should bring eternal shame to the Republican Party.
