Maybe he can battle to make up for being a corporate shill, helping to destroy the middle class and make the rich even richer; feeding the War Department with scarce funds badly needed for schools, health care and housing; and assuring income and wealth inequality of epic proportions by supporting tax and spending legislation only an oligarch could love.
Sorry, while I wish no man ill - marrying a rich women, or dying cannot change the facts of someone’s life.
I too feel compassion for the man facing the end of everything and readily admit that compared to most of his colleagues, he was not without his interesting aspects and at times he carried these traits like they belonged to him. But instead of leaving the tribute thusly, to send him on his way with the honor he merits, your hagiography renders a corrective unction.
We have seen how this happy warrior has been entirely too happy to join cheek by jowl with the worst scoundrels. And with them in daily practice, he has fought for causes that were harmful to the health and welfare of the republic and the majority of its citizens. I do not think this is an unfair exaggeration.
Yes, and there is the other thing with which I have a bone to pick with him (or you). Despite his protestations and mea culpas about the dirt road Trump moves along, he is the one who opened the gates for the post-truthy era by nominating and advancing the career of Sarah Palin--the first Trump. (I place Nixon, Reagan, and Bush apart--though I confess this may be mistaken). He did it and his Johnny-come-lately apologies may satisfy the forgiving Lord, but those of us who have seen the country go from bad to worse (despite the Democratic moments of picking up the pieces) know that when the good do not put their courage to the sticking place, it merits little praise.
Why then is Frank Bruni raking the mud from the laundry as he proffers another halo for one who has facilitated the muck we are now stuck in.
30
Beautiful effort, yet failing to point out the build-up to Trump:
The long assault on voting rights and democracy, including appallingly partisan redistricting and the holy grail of machination of using voting machines, bringing 'miraculously' a Republican win with them in every single race that was a toss-up in the polls since they've been introduced, a statistical impossibility without machine fraud being real. McCain silently complicit.
The decades of FakeFoxNews and local media brain drain efforts. McCain silent or joining.
The malignant witch hunt with false flag investigations of fabricated Hillary scandals. McCain silent or joining.
The very successful institutionalized war on blacks, Latinos, affordable healthcare, rent or tuition, labor, a living wage, schools, teacher pay. McCain silent AND joining.
The obstructionism as GOP 'policy,' including obstruction of a Scotus Judge. Thumb up from McCain.
Decades of redistribution upward and crouchingly widening of an already insane inequality abyss of pa(l)in, including legalized tax evasion. McCain silent or joining the niqab'd predatory capitalists as a good fighter slave, straw man to the MIC, Big Oil, Big Chem robbing the freedom of the 99%.
And when there was practically no good guy left with money to sway the airwaves, no one left to effectively defend him, just some hardly heard or read elite journalists and opinionists, and the powerless on the street facing jail for speech, that's when Trump came for McCain.
32
A shared enemy makes for strange bedfellows! It's a shame that people often become vocal as they become more biased.
2
A few short days after Obama's election, I recall a "meeting" where several Republican senator's were at a roundtable meeting with the new President. John McCain, who day's earlier conceded the election to the hip, young, new President, was offering input regarding the political path forward. Much of it was what he had offered during the campaign. After a short while, Barak Obama said to the American hero, decades-long Senator from Arizona..."John, the election is over. I won."
Don't know about McCain, but I was offended by this, "shut up, John", slap in the face comment to Senator McCain.
However, in light of his new book and commentary, I guess I was very, very wrong. John McCain, was, in fact, what we've learned him to be in the past two years, is a true RINO. Praised by Obama, Biden and Hillary over the last several months all the while, whenever able, blocking every attempt by the new President to succeed, I'm afraid I have lost all respect for Mr. McCain. He lived his political life pretending to be a conservative Republican, but has shown he was really nothing but another entrenched, deep state politician. Bye, John. To those of us who supported you...we hardly knew you.
6
If McCain wants to die in peace, he needs to acknowledge the biggest mistake of his life: Sarah Palin.
11
McCain Gave us Obama. That inept impotent heartless campaign he ran against the most unqualified politician in American history will always be his legacy.
8
Thank you, Frank, for your column today.
As a center-left progressive I never thought I would be pining for the good old days of political discussion and discourse from both ends of the political spectrum. At this point in time I happen to have the same fear that Bill Maher has expressed for some time now. That as a country we are watching a " slow moving, right wing coup ". The only real indicator of any meaningful resistance to this coup will happen at the ballot box in the next midterm.
If that resistance fails, any findings of the Special Counsel, of any laws being broken, will be of no consequence to the Trumpists and their Dear Leader.
The power of the vote is our Kryptonite.
28
I found it somewhat prophetic, in yesterday's Kentucky Derby, that the horse called "Promises Fulfilled" was leading in the backstretch, but when it came time to show what he was really made of, sank back into 15th place. It gave me a little bit of hope.
5
It's too bad, on the one hand, that the person who's likely to be in a position to offer the nation's official final tribute to John McCain is this guttersnipe. On the other hand, as Frank Bruni makes clear here, the unfortunate juxtaposition does provide a clear (albeit unneeded) highlight of the ways that Mr. McCain is admirable.
I'd add that I would have wished Mr. McCain to be more vocally principled and oppositional, not just about trump himself but about the despicable complicity of Senate colleague Mitch McConnell and his Republican minions.
27
Jonathan: Another article about Biden's visit to McCain states the McCain family has already made funeral plans (hopefully not in the near future) for the service to be in the National Cathedral and that Mike Pence represent the White House - they don't want Trump there. And who can blame them? Pence is bad enough.
16
McCain bent to the worst impulses of the Republican Party by accepting the right wing ideologue Sarah Palin as his running mate. We are still feeling the impact of that decision today as Trump is an extension of that unleashing of irrational populism. And the middle class will be negatively affected by his tax bill vote unless it can be overturned by a Democratic majority. I feel McCain has frequently expressed contrary views but in the end voted with the republican majority. The health care vote was an exception.
32
It is not unusual for people facing a terminal condition to reflect back on their lives. McCain is no exception and he certainly has experienced more than many trials and tribulations that are worthy of reflection and sharing. Having said that, I respect his service (my family has served) and sacrifices; but have always found his bravado and maverick style typical of combat pilots in particular grandiose and yes, annoying. Yes he's a fighter and shown himself to act (impulsively) from his gut which led to his disastrous selection of Sarah Palin as a running mate. I feel this was the beginning of the dumbing down of candidates - her selection legitimized unquestionably unqualified, ignorant and arrogant candidates. His rushing off back to DC instead of a debate with Obama during the campaign because of a banking scandal was melodrama; his dramatic thumb's down in the Senate re Trump's first tax bill was a media frenzy created by...the media! Even mavericks become institutionalized - not battling Trump right from the beginning was a lost opportunity, doing it now with a book is better than nothing but sad.
16
John McCain gave legitimacy to the far right conspiracy theorist candidates at the highest levels of our government in his desperate foolish move of okaying Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate in 2008. A simple vetting of her and a few sit down deep conversations would have revealed she had no education or knowledge of international issues, nor national ones for that matter. She was the first high profile candidate to make up facts on the fly all the while attacking the "lame stream" media when called on it. Now we have Trump using the blueprint - thanks John but it is way too late. Your desperation to be President has given up the mess we are in now.
20
I will never again be so stupid as to demonize the other side as long as they are honorable men and women. I think about all those that have given their lives to the full meaning of freedom and what a sham this president is when compared to the youngsters that go into the service. Thank you for this piece.
13
Live long and prosper John McCain....god's speed...
6
Frank and NYT,
Why the eulogy for Sen. McCain now?
He is alive for chrissake! Why don't we give McCain and
his family peace and privacy? Why is everyone is discussing
him as though he is not in the room. We are being extremely
cruel to a man who is a true hero, although flawed, but
a real patriotic hero nevertheless.
4
GOOD GRIEF!
Get me a machete to cut through the hypocricy...or a blow torch.
John McCain is a HERO to the left now?
Just like he was when he was running in 2008, right?
My goodness...
8
Was he honorable as a member of the Keating Five?
When he hotdogged and crashed his plane?
5
Trump is going to be around for decades by virtue of the fact that he has packed the federal judiciary with Tony Perkins approved religious zealots. These are radical anti-LGBT nuts who are going to set society back.
What keeps me awake at night is another Trumper on the Supreme Court.
11
The reference to McCain's graciousness provides the perfect contrast to Trump, a man bereft of civility and replete with anti-social propensities. The ethos manifested by the patriots that founded our nation and kept alive by patriots like John McCain has little chance of surviving as long as Trump sits in the oval office and Republicans in Congress are indifferent to the "snake pit" he is incubating.
12
Does the name Sarah Palin ring any bells?
8
Haiku
John McCain decrees:
Trump persona non grata
At his funeral.
2
There's such a dichotomy between a true American hero and a cowardly, racist, ignorant narcissist who wishes to be a dictator.
15
Thank you for your service Mr McCain but sadly your opinions have changed and your mind is addled due to your condition. Many would say that you were never a true conservative and that may also be true. I will admit that Trump comes off as an blowhard and acts beyond childish and thin skinned but when you measure the actual JOB he is doing, which is what we HIRE a president to do, his job performance, results, and accomplishments are so far beyond the last two presidents, it is not even comparable.
Honestly, I cannot name a singe positive accomplishment that Obama made over 8 years. Not one. If any of the idol worshipers of Obama could name one I am all ears. But since Trump took office, the economy is kicking butt (and no sheople this is not Obama's economy) taxes are lower for 95% of all Americans, corporate taxes are finally back to a reasonable level helping to spur spending and job growth, and thousands of insane regulations have been overturned. Our enemies are thankfully fearful of us again, North Korea is ready to de-nuke due to the crippling sanctions, China is ready to renegotiate the imbalance of trade we have seen for decades, unemployment is at historic lows and unemployment for people of color is at ALL TIME lows. A great supreme court justice was confirmed and record numbers of right thinking appellate justices have been put on the bench.
ALL in one year!
Too bad McCain is now being used like a pawn by the loony left who hated him until recently. Typical
Thanks for unleashing Sarah Palin on America. Thanks for permitting her to lie about Obama's "palling around with terrorists.
14
In the spring of 2000, listening to a Dallas talk radio host while on my way home from taking my final semester for a much-delayed bachelor's degree, I couldn't wait to get to the house to call in. The subject was the primary race between George W. Bush and John McCain. My opinion of Dubya was not high. While he was, by dint of having served in the Air National Guard, a veteran, by my lights he had been a shirker, avoiding Vietnam, skipping Guard monthly weekend meetings and the longer annual training sessions as the mood suited him.
I got through to the radio host and he immediately asked me my opinion of who should win the race. "George Bush isn't fit to polish John McCain's shoes," I answered. The line went dead instantly, and I heard on the radio the host saying, "Well, I guess we know where that caller stands." Most of the callers had been pro-Bush and received a bit more air time and requests for follow-up comments.
Over the decades, I often disagreed with McCain's positions, probably more often than I sided with him. He could pull some dandy boners, as reflected by his dismal bottom of his class academic performance at Annapolis. But hero he was. Period. End of any discussion on that point. I never didn't admire John McCain.
6
Strange time for our country, as much as I have respect for senator Mc Cain, it is hard to forget what became regret for the senator to choose Sarah Palin as running mate ,the choice was gamble and not based on her records , Mc Cain was playing the card of the Maverick, forward thinking and innovator,it just happened to be placed on someone that was chosen for the wrong reason and consequently open the flood gates on what we are witnessing today , the soap opera of today started with the Palin's family with alternative life style , what was view as impossible became our daily reality and we have senator Mc Cain to thxs for it , and it was all designed under pumping his campaign, it is not enough to front a woman's name it has to be also a good candidate, the democrats made the same mistake and are gearing up for the same mistake,unless they pay closer attention to Kamala Harris.
1
Better late than never, and at least one man who Trump ran against has the right stuff. Imagine if all the other men that Trump ran against and belittled actually got mad at Trump said about them. Trump is a classic example of the schoolyard bully who gets his way because no one dares punch him in the nose. I only wish McCain had been vocal way back in the election cycle when Trump made the slur against him being captured. Had I been McCain I might have said, at least I served my country and wasn't a draft dodger. No one yet has punched the bully. I keep waiting for a Have you sense of decency moment.
11
Can we please stop mindlessly repeating the phrase "War Hero"? I don't want to rehash Viet Nam or any of our more recent military adventures, but the fact is that McCain was dropping napalm on civilians when he was shot down. Is it just me, or was there a time 40 years ago when glorification of the military was largely regarded as the hubristic sin it really is?
11
McCain will leave a void that I see no one stepping up to fill. I only wish he had been more vociferous in speaking out earlier and that he had leaned on his brethren to call out the misconduct and immorality of a corrupt presidency. The future rests in the hands of a Congress unafraid to act but we see no courage. We only see mute sheep, with a few exceptions. I fear for the future with a corrupt President and an impotent Congress, too cowed to act.
3
I agree completely, Fast and Furious, the IRS, incompetent and corrupt Veterans Administration, wholesale unmasking of American citizens, a massive email scandal, a secretary of state collecting hundreds of millions in 'contributions' to a corrupt charity, and the wholesale politicization of many federal departments and McCain and the impotent Congress did nothing, except a little verbal bleating. If McCain had real courage, he would have spoken and acted.
1
If John McCain loves his country so much, why is he a Republican?
10
John McCain and so many of his supporters are essentially men and women of integrity. The problem isn't lack of integrity it is blindness to the changes that are going on all around us and what worked well for America in the late 20th century is folly in 2018.
"Never attribute to malice that which can adequately be explained by stupidity."
America's problem is not the few who possess neither integrity nor disposition to do what their professed religions tell them to do. The problem is with the many true believers who have no leaders worth trusting. John McCain is simply well over his head in a den of thieves.
John McCain the son of an Admiral may have been the best small business in the entire nation but was a disastrous Senator and political leader. America was supposed to be a meritocracy and being born to an admiral, general or billionaire does not give any inherent understanding.
1
American's have no one to blame but themselves for Trump's election; millions of people voted for this charlatan. That's why McCain is so anguished. At the end of his life he is seeing everything he stood for destroyed.
9
Integrity. McCain exemplifies it. Trump doesn't even know the meaning of the word.
5
Speaking of Trump's insult of McCain, Gen. David Petraeus said, "He (McCain) never mentioned it”....
I guarantee you, though, McCain never forgot or forgave it. He just tucked his payback aside for the right moments, which he knew had to come.
3
How about a recap of the great work he did a member of the "Keating Five"
3
McCain is miles above Trump, but make no mistake, he to was as self serving as any Washington. He took more money from the NRA than anyone else in congress and selected a dimwit as a running mate during his presidential run. His is a legacy of what might have been.
7
I wish Senator McCain the strength and health to return to Washington and continue to try to correct the horrible mistake made in 2016. Comparing a man like McCain with Trump is ludicrous. One is a Hero and the other a Bully coward.
3
For Pete's sake, McCain is one of the biggest warmongers in Washington (remember "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb bomb Iran"?) yet now he's being lionized merely because he's opposed to Trump. I'd wager McCain would be PRAISING Trump if Trump was pursuing regime change in Syria, a long-term neocon/neoliberal goal. Or if Trump were, like McCain, hugging any former Soviet republic that was in the mood to poke the Russian bear in the eye because, well, Russia must always be the enemy (and kids like Hunter Biden need really good jobs with Ukrainian oil companies). The NY Times has gone off the rails.
5
I struggle with mixed feelings about Senator McCain. I admire his criticism of trump (lower cap intended). However, Sen. McCain voted for dough-head Betsy De Vos to be secretary of education. What in the world???? I admire Sen. McCain's sense of fairness. His sense of justice. His impatience with stupidity (one of the reasons his vote for De Vos is so remarkably contractradictory). I love his sense of humor. I love his toughness. I wondered why he sold out to the (non) thinkers who convinced him to bring palin on board (ditto on the lower cap). But, even with the contradictions, Senator John McCain stands tall in today's world as he will in history. He is a good man, a flawed man, and a true, true American.
7
Why didn't the hero stand up when it counted? Why didn't he call out Trump on every lie he made? McCain is just like all the rest of the traitorous Republicans. Adios, John, you could have been great.
7
Frank Bruni lifts all Americans up with his comments and his unusual replies of late to NYT reader comments.
I sincerely hope that dignity will be able to resurface in America once again, soon.
November, 2018.
We are dying, and need new life. It's called a responsibility to do what is right.
2
Two words that are a perfect metaphor for where we find ourselves now: sarah and palin. No excuse, no rationalization, no forgiving.
6
Better half-baked spurious nationalism rooted in peaceful foreign policy than the “bomb Iran” McCain of the years prior so many have forgotten.
A terrible way to die, but none of this will redeem him or insulate the future public from the truth: terrible pilot whose admiral father pulled strings, “songbird” in captivity, and a decades-long chickenhawk, ready to slash taxes and programs but always down for another trillion dollar war.
5
It really is amazing how many Americans see politicians as God's pet goldfish and the Earth as God's TV screen.
For reasons all too obvious, I'm reminded of the lyrics from Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi -- "Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got til its gone".
2
The recent Frontline biodoc about McCain is a tonic for weepy eyes. Keating Five, anyone? In other decisions, McCain's insight and judgment is hardly Themistoclean. Case in point: the rise of Sarah Palin, precursor to the rise of Donald Trump. Oh, he does dislike Trump, he really does! But McCain is the man who got the populist ball rolling, and it will roll right over his grave.
6
Is it "battling" to vote with the President almost the entire time, even on his worst decisions, and then try to pretend like you're charting your own course?
How about when you take someone almost as dumb and dangerous as the current President to be your Vice Presidential running mate?
McCain might be dying, and he might have done a few things in his early life that were quite heroic. But he's a highly compromised man as a politician
5
McCain is doubtlessly a courageous man. He can also be crass and cruel. He once called an Arizona retirement community “Seizure World” instead of Leisure World, and on another occasion, in front of wealthy GOP donors, he joked: "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno." And when questioned by a veteran about the Middle East, McCain sang “Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran,” swinging to the tune of the old Beach Boys’ hit, “Barbara Ann.”
Then let’s not forget Sarah Palin, McCain’s greedy, ignorant choice for VP, who delivered shrill, hateful, garbled sentences that may well have taught Donald Trump something about the Republican “base” and how to rouse an audience. Do we really remember how horrible Palin was, or has she shrunk into a comic little figure?
Let’s hope it’s Trump who recedes next into our shared rearview mirror and gets recognized as the little guy he really is.
And yes, John McCain is a brave man. Often a thoughtful and incisive man. With a big mouth. Complex ... and fully Republican.
6
McCain voted for the tax scam when he could have stopped it. I feel bad for the guy but he’s no hero, especially when you carefully examine his background and how he treated his first wife. He got where he is all the way through his life through connections. Terrible student, terrible pilot. Very flawed man.
7
The bitterness of McCain transcends impending death. Sad.
1
Donald John Trump, Sr. won election to the office of President of the United States by beating 16 Republican challengers and then defeating Mrs. William Jefferson Clinton. John Sidney McCain, III lost to George Walker Bush and Barack Hussein Obama. Those results say more about the partisan political predilections of the American people than they do the various candidates.
2
It is difficult to fathom not one single member of Congress and not one single Republican senator does not have the dignity and fortitude to stand up to Trump. Their legacy to all will be that of cowards.
2
McCain!!!!!
Perfect? No.
Honest? Yes
Patriot? Yes
Ethical? Yes
Brave? Yes
Role model? Yes
And President Trump?
3
Lots has been said here about John McCain, both pro and con. His final, dramatic act of heroism for his nation may have been his deciding vote in the senate against repealing the Affordable Care Act.
Then we get into everything else, his service as a war hero and member of congress, his criticism of Trump, and so on. I'm a Democrat, though I have to say if we had more Republicans like McCain, we'd have a better country. But that midnight vote in the Senate will always stand out for me as a shining moment.
3
John McCain is not a leader; he's a maverick. Just like fellow Virgo, Lyndon Johnson, who was a disaster when he actually moved from manipulating the levers of government, behind the backdrop, onto center stage. (aka, the Oval office bathroom). We Virgos are neither leaders or followers, we "go" our own way (to coin a metaphor) and if others choose to follow our example, a rarity, they are free to do so.
Or not.
1
I am sorry that John McCain's life will end soon. He has tried to do the right thing against the tepid tide of Republicans in the Senate. He suffered as a prisoner of war for five years. He has stood up to Trump. Yet, even good men make bad mistakes. His biggest regret and ours, was choosing Sarah Palin as his running mate rather than Joe Lieberman or anyone else. This opened the Pandora's Box for the Tea Party and other far right political groups. Who or what persuaded him to do that?
5
McCain's legacy is a mixed bag indeed. Although he defended Obama during the 2008 campaign, it was my belief that he allowed for Palin to be his surrogate and do the racist baiting dirty work, those voters being essential to the Republican electorate.
1
"Greater love hath no one more than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." So it is written in the Bible.
When his torturers at the Hanoi Hilton found out that John McCain was the son of an Admiral and tried to release him for their propaganda, he chose to stay with his fellow soldiers, subjecting himself to years of excruciating torture that handicapped him for life. Sacrifice is sacred. Love is sacrifice.
As a progressive, I do not relate with most of McCain's politics. Yet I recognize him as a true American hero.
Trump dismissed him for being captured. I ask Trump's base would he have sacrificed himself? Would he really have run into the Parkland school? Would he give anything to you at his own sacrifice?
Blessings to you John McCain.
6
I lived many years in Arizona. John McCain is a good man who has done many good things for this country; while Trump is using the country to immortalize his narcissism.
4
To John McCain: You won't be seeing Trump again, as you will be going to different places...
7
Why is it that the only Republicans who repudiate Trump are those who are retiring or otherwise not returning to Congress?
4
I see McCain as a tragic hero who wavered at crucial times, on the Confederate Flag, torture, Iraq after Abu Garaib and of course, Trump. His own misguided sense of party loyalty (endorsing W, after the Rovian smear-job) and the absurd threat of being primaried from the Tea-Party right compromised him into pretzel-twisting support for policies that his heart wasn’t in.
His ultimate Faustian bargain (choosing a simple-minded, Pre-Trumpian dunderhead for his VP choice) blew up his Presidential ambition. Yet his own instinctual decency in gently correcting a mis-guided woman from calling Obama an “Arab” showed us he was still the hero we believed he was.
He, like so many others, in his Party, (and the Democratic Party) made the mistake of thinking Trump would bring himself down, that surely the demagogue would be repugnant to enough voters on his own.
The big mistake they all made was in not realizing that empowering the racists, nativists and Know-Nothing’s was one way—and the only way for Trump to win.
That’s a mistake we all own, and a lesson that malleable morality is the Shakespearean downfall for even the greatest hero of modern America’s lifetime.
3
Oh for goodness's sake--- McCain voted for the tax bill and was critical in passing the Trump agenda. Now, McCain is trying somehow to foster this image of a maverick, a party loner when in fact he has been an eager participant and leader in the anti-poverty, anti-environment, and pro-military, pro-wealthy Trump presidency.
Actions, Senator McCain, are all that matter: words quickly evaporate into the dry, hot Arizona desert.
3
I revile our participation in the Vietnam War, even though I fought in it; especially mine. In my opinion Henry Kissinger is a war criminal, who should be tried as such at the Hague for crimes against humanity. I guess that includes me too. And I disagree most sincerely with most, if not all of John McCain's political views and philosophy. But McCain answered the call and flew against the most intense anti-aircraft defenses the world has ever seen while that creature in the WH had fake bone spurs. Calling him a creature is truly an insult to creatures. I hate your politics, Senator McCain, but I will truly miss you when you are gone.
4
Thanks for this great opinion.
But he voted for the unredeemable Republican tax plan...
3
I'm a long-time admirer of your opinion columns, and I respect your respect for Senator McCain. But let's not forget that he foisted Sarah Palin upon us, and their egregiously mismatched mash-up forever tainted conservative politics. I simply cannot forgive and forget his terrible lack of judgment, spine and morals, since he, albeit unwittingly, planted the seedling of Trumpism.
3
McCain will be remembered for bringing Sarah Palin to the national stage and in doing so, paving the way for Trumpism. He. Is. Complicit.
4
Mostly I never agreed with Senator McCain but never doubted his love of this country.
2
Talk is cheap. Dying or not, McCain is complicit, like every other "concerned" Republican who has done nothing but pay lip service to stop what is happening.
3
It is very sad that someone feels compelled to use their last weeks for very public political revenge. The only other comparable example that I recall is the Clintons vindictively ignoring Ted Kennedy in his last weeks because of his endorsement of Barrack Obama in 2008. Sad to be so consumed.
I just hope Trump does not deliver the Eulogy, better yet not attend the memorial service.
Never forget McCain enabled Palin and the gullibles, and is directly responsible for Trump's rise.
4
In spite of Mr. McCain's shortcomings, of which we all have many, Mr. Trump doesn't have the character to carry his luggage.
2
Trump convinced enough Americans to elect him President, McCain never did!
The hatred of Trump, and that's what it is, is the swamp and the manipulation of the public by the swamp. It's just that simple. Frankly I don't know of any president who could have stood up nearly as well to the scrutiny he's received. The swamp thinks if they just dig deep enough he's no better than they are, but they're mistaken. They're mistaken because no outsider can be that bad.
1
McCain was a mountain of integrity. He just never let it get in the way of his career or personal ambitions.
3
Thank you for a truly touching op-ed of John McCain. The present president doesn't have a clue or empathy on what it takes to be a good human being.
'he [Trump] branded Hillary Clinton a criminal and encouraged supporters to chant, “Lock her up.”'
Clinton as Secretary of State put an email server in her home instead of using the official government email and when the 33,000 emails were subpoenaed by the FBI, she hired someone to wipe the server disks clean so that even an FBI forensic expert couldn't recover them. Her husband Bill spoke with Attorney General Lynch privately while his wife was under investigation.
To put an email server in your home instead of using the official government servers where a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request could make public the email contents and then to destroy emails so throughly that an FBI forensic expert couldn't recover them suggests to the public criminal activity such as obstruction of justice. The fact that President Clinton intervened with AG Lynch suggests he felt that way as well.
3
While Sen. McCain has certainly demonstrated he has the guts to tell it like it is, he is certainly responsible himself for helping to secure Trump's election. Perhaps the biggest stain on his long career was the selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. She and Trump are two peas in a pod. More importantly, McCain remains a member of the disreputable Republican Party despite all else. In the end he is a perfect example of the failings of blind faith partisanship. Talkin' and walkin' are two different things in the case of McCain.
1
I don’t understand the lionization of McCain, who voted consistently to hurt the poor. If any woman had been locked up and tortured for as long as McCain, we’d be questioning whether her sanity and ptsd disqualified her for public office. Surely his choice of Sarah Palin as his VP shows the kind of bad judgment a McCain presidency would have exhibited. And his rebukes of Trump have been puny and ineffective.
3
These are the best of times, the worst of times, an age of foolishness, an epoch of belief and incredulity, a season of light and darkness, a spring of hope and a winter of despair. We've had everything before us to revere and to offer hope yet now the orange haired Trump and his minions are a wrecking ball of hate and distrust. In this moment of our darkest despair there still remains a small band of friends, politicians with the courage and integrity who with John McCain have stood against the darkest threats to our democracy now salute him as he passes into history. We grieve with them and will perhaps move with them to a new day, a new dawn of hope and resolution to stand tall and fight bravely to preserve our beloved land and our treasured democratic rule. God Bless you John McCain and God bless the USA.
3
As a former member of Women Against Palin, I must say we warned the country to no avail and now we have Trump. I cannot forgive McCain for the sin of choosing Palin and for taking the most amount of money from the NRA of any politician. Neither of these sins can be erased by his decent comment to the women calling Obama a scary Muslim.
McCain and other Republicans have sold their country to the NRA. Ask the teens from Parkland if they can forgive him for enabling the NRA. Has McCain contributed to their GoFundMe page? He should to ask for penance and also contribute to Gabby Gifford organization, a Congresswomen from his own state injured by the NRA and Arizona's love for guns. While McCain still has a breathe he should redeem himself to his country.
3
Being alone, after a 50-year marriage, because of brain cancer, I have nothing but profound sympathy for what Senator McCain and his family are experiencing. It's an ugly disease, and his last days will not grow easier. But, like so many other readers, whose comments are also heartfelt, I cannot help but regret also the lack of forceful opposition during the Trump campaign. So many of us wished, and waited in vain, for Republican leaders to speak out before it was too late. To put country before party. Now, sad to say--and to our nation's shame--it is too late.
2
It is ironic that people automatically consider folks who are nearing their end very generously. Respect is to be commanded. He could have been an amazing example. We admired him, till he took on Sarah Palin as his running mate. He had ample opportunities to lead by example. He chose the low road each time. Too late, too little, too desperate. History will remember his patriotism but not forget his greed. For eg. when an ignorant person declared Obama an Arab, he hardly corrected them, conveniently giving the appearance of decency by saying he was a decent man. He is an American first. Frank Bruni writes an elegant piece in an effort to make McCain look beautiful. I wish him the best as a human being, faults and all, but do not expect folks to celebrate his honesty.
2
I can't express strongly enough my admiration and respect for the physical courage and heroism McCain exhibited while a POW in Viet Nam. I doubt I'd have refused a ticket home the way he did.
But opposing Trump with his dying breath is not enough. McCain didn't have the moral courage to oppose and speak out against Trump during the GOP primaries when it might have mattered. And his regrets that he chose Palin as his running mate in 2008 not withstanding, Palin was the prototype for the ignorant, narcissistic populist that is Donald Trump.
3
Great piece, Frank Bruni!
McCain IS the quintessential American hero... whether you agree with his politics or not.
McCain’s intentions are inspirational.
1
Articles like this about someone like McCain should make anyone that values what America should symbolize to the world---and what being an American should be about-- truly embarrassed that Donald Trump is president.
2
A combative soul never rests in peace unless he really loves enemy.
1
A compelling read, Mr. Bruni. Thank you.
McCain like the rest of us made his mistakes. But he did great damage to the institutions of the Senate and the Presidency when he became an accomplice to McConnell’s outrageous scheme to steal a seat on SCOTUS. Into the depths of partisanship he sank.
4
The last republican candidate I voted for was John McCain in the 2000 Michigan primary. Thank you sir for your service to this country. And thank you Mr. Bruni for your column.
1
Many kudos Frank-you are spot on.We all hope that very soon we will all be unleashed from this nightmarish pretender of a POTUS.
2
Thank you for this piece.
You guys on the east coast have no idea who McCain is and you've not read his voting record. Except for that dramatic late -night healthcare vote (who knows what motivated that -- a final revenge?), he's voted for all the judicial nominees and every other item on the McConnell/Trump agenda. Not to mention Sarah Palin and his "poor judgment" regarding Charles Keating.
I honor him for his war service, but we would have been much better off as a country had he gone into Cyndy's business instead of government.
3
In our "For what it's worth category..."
1
Those who at this very moment are physically ill have some idea of the discipline, strength and depth of caring it takes for John McCain to be as involved as he is with what's going on in our nation and in the world.
I hope Senator McCain will use his power and national reputation to continue to confront the unscrupulousness of Donald Trump and the constantly shifting cast of dicy and dishonest characters he surrounds himself with.
We are truly in a time of danger. Trump and company don't respect the institutions our nation is founded upon, including the separation of powers, and of course the independent press. They put themselves above the law, and this is the road to dictatorship; under Trump we've already taken steps down that road. I've never been so shocked politically as when hearing Trump exhort crowds to violence against the press and against dissenting members of the crowd.
John McCain represents the opposite stance: a deep respect for American values. One may disagree with his political concepts, but most of us feel that he's trying to be on our side. I'm grateful to him right now.
3
A fine article and fitting tribute to John McCain. But I take issue with McCain's finger pointing at Trump as the spoiler of democratic values.
Trump is only the symbol of dysfunction---as so many others have pointed out. It's the people who voted for him and who, despite his increasingly aberrant behavior, continue to support him.
That's what should keep us up at night. Ever-Trumpers are willfully misinformed, racist, authoritarian-loving voters, many of whom are educated, living comfortable lives in affluent communities. Scary.
2
Frank, I am a conservative who loves your writing and thinking. You are fair and clear.
I only wish that liberals (and McCain) would be honest about the word "immigrant" in the future. You really should preface it correctly with the adjective "illegal." Not to do so is unfair to those of us whose ancestors arrived in America respectfully, "by the book", worked ver hard and assimilated into the American culture. Conservatives are proud of that. I am very touched when I see legal immigrants becoming citizens here and doing so honorably.
This issue is one of the reasons that Trump became president. Awful a person as he can be, he acknowledged the pain of people who must personally deal with this "invasion" of their country--their hospitals, schools, towns, in ways that the wealthy and corporate "elite" (who profit from this pain) do not.
People were also tired of being branded "racist" for wanting to protect, defend the country and its rule of law.
Why don't liberals side with the Americans over the fence jumpers?
Next time, come up with a good, wholesome Democratic candidate who is only slightly left of center--dignified, educated, optimistic. And who knows?
1
The problem/challenge for the US or any democracy, is how to react to people who are desperately running away from horrible and dangerous lives in their countries. Should we or shouldn't we take some responsibility for helping these folks? It's happened before in history where countries, including the US, have turned people away from the "borders" for many different reasons including racism, economic, social, cultural, etc. I'm not sure what the right answer is but i don't believe it is simply turning them away. There has to be a better, middle of the road solution. These are human beings just like us. Many of them need help to have a better life. Let's all try to figure this out instead of just shutting the door and saying not my problem.
1
daylight, of course we should take some responsibility for those who are fleeing horrible and dangerous lives in their countries.
But is this the case? Maybe the media/press should document these conditions for the Americans to see and appreciate-- and make sure that leftist lawyers and social workers are not flooding our borders with "prepped on what to say" illegals who come here only to ignore their court dates and disappear into the country
ever undocumented.
I am repeating conservative talking points but isn't it only fair to apprise the taxpayers of what their government is doing and allowing? Shouldn't we be a bit wary of fence jumpers waving Honduran flags and claiming it is their "right" to be here? I wasn't there but I don't think most of our American ancestors arrived here in such an ingracious and noxious manner.
1
John McCain backed the installation if Neil Gorsuch. That was less honorable even than the nomination of Sarah Palin.
Yes, there was good. But in these big things, he warrants no admiration.
1
Yes, "the difference between the high road and the gutter"--apt description of contrast between McCain and Trump.
John McCain served his country honorably, that we cannot deny: His service and his patriotism are without question. I'm deeply sorry that he has such an aggressive and horrible form of cancer, and I wish him and his family peace as they go through the end of his life. But, I can think that and also the fact that I do not admire John McCain's politics. When this country needed him during the Obama administration and certainly in the election cycle of 2016, he lost his focus on what was best for the country. The Senate elders sold their collective soul for a charlatan, all so that they could be in power and finally seize the Supreme Court seat that Mitch McConnell stole, pass tax cuts for their friends and donors, and kill healthcare (bitterly ironic that quality healthcare is what McCain has relied upon until now). To me these times are really such a stain on an otherwise solid record of patriotism.
1
Senator McCain has been a beacon of sanity, dignity, comity, and selfless patriotism in the midst of a political swamp that is now more rank, more fetid than this die-hard Democrat can recall. I have often disagreed with the Senator's policy priorities, but I have never questioned his integrity, much less his devotion to country. Senator McCain is a great American. Period. Trump doesn't even come close.
2
I wish John McCain well, but find the current spate of praise of him as he is battling brain cancer a little less than forthright.
As detailed in an October 16, 2008, Rolling Stone article ("John McCain: Make-Believe Maverick"), as a young man he showed himself to be an arrogant, privileged, under-achieving, third-generation military brat.
In the 2008 Presidential election he selected Sarah Palin as his running mate (a decision he now claims to regret), which opened the door for the Tea Party movement enabling them to play a key role in the election of Donald Trump.
And, yes, his dramatic, last-minute vote defeated the Republican attempt to kill the Affordable Care Act. But soon thereafter, and after eight years of complaining about the deficit during the Obama presidency, he nevertheless voted for a Trump-backed tax bill that added $1 trillion to the deficit and which mostly benefited the rich and the corporations they control.
3
McCain has his loyal friends, but I don’t hear much else from anyone in the Republican Congress. They’ll all be sending their thoughts and prayers for his funeral, but they’ve sold their souls to their rich, rich donors.
The fact that Frank Bruni takes the time to respond to comments reflects his decency as a person, regardless of whether you agree with him or not. At a time when a large number of Americans seem to lack a moral compass, it's reassuring to read the columns and responses of someone who clearly has one.
I wish I could be as enthusiastic as many in the press are in lionizing Senator McCain. He was a great hero in Vietnam, but in the single most important act of his life he chose the thoroughly unqualified Sarah Palin as his VP.
It was an act of desperation and cynicism and shifted our politics in an ugly direction which has only accelerated. He saved us from the health care bill, but after marrying into great wealth, supported a tax bill that spit in the face of the 99%. I suspect he is very near the end and he has, indeed, had an extraordinary American life. But I hope the instinct to lionize the man will be tempered with the desire to be accurate.
5
Evidently, McCain's waning time is shorter than we're willing to admit. Why else would his book be excerpted this far in advance of publication? Why are we all talking about the senator?
With regard to the political science professor's assessment of Trump's importance in history, if he fails, the Republican Party will be tarnished for a generation.
But if Trump's presidency succeeds, I'd sooner go with McCain than stick around for the new guard.
1
I really can’t get passed the FACT that McCain did not forcefully oppose his candidacy in the party AND that he has voted for his vile cabinet AND helped to gut important Obama-era regulations with his votes AND put Gorsuch on the Supreme Court. McCain’s position as some kind of maverick is almost as much of a myth as this so-called “president’s” of being a tough guy.
It’s great that he voted down the health care repeal—but that’s it in terms of legislative pushback.
4
How is it possible that men like McConnell, Ryan, McCarthy et al, are so willing to support Trump? We are living in a total nightmare and all I can do is anxiously wait to VOTE.
Sorry Frank, you miss it on this. McCain is a war hero. He was involved in the Savings & Loan scandal. While I am sad about McCain's health issue, McCain missed an opportunity with Trump. He could have done more and he did not. Our country is in very deep trouble because of men like McCain.
3
I know this:
That the GOP Senate and House have steadfastly refused to sound the alarm that the executive branch has been hijacked by criminals and assorted other nefarious characters wholly inexperienced and, almost to a man, interested not in the nation's welfare but only in enriching themselves. They are ripping apart our institutions of government, one by one, all to the benefit of themselves and their powerful and well-monied friends.
Now, Senator McCain, as much as he admitted his concern about the direction his party is taking the country, has been remarkably quiescent for the last 2 or 3 years. He would do his country an enormous service were he to somehow set aside some of his precious remaining moments and speak publicly—and in every mass media outlet—what we all know he says privately about this disaster of a person that, in an accident of history and a flaw in the American electoral system, landed in the oval office.
This is not a time for senatorial comity. It is a time to speak up, plainly and loudly; to name names of those who are complicit in his party; to call Trump out for what he is; to provoke the American people to the voting booth in record numbers.
What few responsible Republicans—elected or otherwise —who are still around must all rise up and hold a mirror to those who protect Trump.
6
Thank you for the illuminating editorial. It was so sad too.
I'm sorry, but McCain is no hero. He sold us down the river with his votes again and again and the shameful legacy he leaves will be remembered when he's gone. He was a rich, rich powerful man who had nothing to lose by acting better than he did, but he still chose power over good again and again. If he is having regrets, well, he should.
3
I stand second to none to my admiration for the war hero, John McCain, especially the P.O.W. hero (refusing early release when offered is a sacrifice beyond my ken, not to mention that of our current president). But when it counted he did not summon the moral courage to stand against Trump. I am speaking of when McCain was running in his last election, when alienating the members of the Trump cult might cost him the election. Adding his voice, and his moral standing to the never Trumpers might not have made the difference, but he should have tried. It was the only time he put personal success above country, and it certainly was the wrong time.
And by not defending himself against Trump's vile insinuation that P.O.W.'s are cowards he failed to realize that Trump attacked, not just him, but all of our P.O.W.'s. Defending them would certainly have been worth a Senate seat.
5
Thank you Mr. Bruni for stating the obvious and pushing it out front for people to swallow and digest.
Reply to Sussee Q:
Thank you for your beautiful and thoughtful words. I am sad to see McCain's suffering, even though he was not a candidate that I ever voted for here in AZ.
That said, he is a truly honorable man, and will be missed.
1
Well put, Mr. Bruni. My thoughts exactly. I recently visited Thailand, and have seen first hand the importance of righteous leadership and taking care of the less fortunate. Senator McCain personifies decency, a rarity in GOP.
1
If McCain were not as much of the narrative that got us to where we are today, I'd probably feel a lot more sympathetic. He has far too much baggage and and unanswered accountability, however.
I have nothing but the highest regard for Mr. McCain and a few other Republican leaders who have genuinely independent thoughts about how the country should be governed and what is the best way to do maximum good to the maximum number of people. I may disagree with them on their ideas (and a lot of their global view) but I acknowledge that they are genuine public servants wanting to bring positive change to the world.
However, I am extremely disappointed with the deafening public silence from almost every elected Republican on the current state of affairs. If they genuinely care about the country and the world, they need to loudly voice the concerns that they are expressing in their hospital bed and behind closed doors – not once, not twice but every single day. Until now, it has been just a few like Sen.Flake and Gov.Kasich who have had the courage to fight the good fight.
Any leader who doesn’t actively oppose the current state of affairs and mumbles disapproval behind closed doors is complicit in the wrecking of the country and the world. It is unfortunate that as things stand today, Mr. McCain will be counted amongst those.
He is a leader I admire a lot and a terrific role model; I hope he stands up and leaves a legacy that he deserves.
8
John McCain is certainly an American hero for his service to his country and Donald Trump was out of line for saying otherwise. Mr. Trump discredited many Republicans and Democrats during the campaign some unmercifully and should have been called out for this behavior. He was criticized at times for his unseemly behavior by the media and individuals. Yet Mr. Trump won the presidency which was never predicted by the liberals or most media networks. Even some in his own party were skeptical he could become president.
Donald Trump did something that no one before him was able to accomplish. He won the Republican nomination against 16 Republican candidates and the presidency against Hillary Clinton who were all career politicians. This was quite a feat for someone with no political experience whatsoever.
Let's not forget that as great a man as Mr. McCain was and respected by so many he was not able to win the presidency in 2008. There is probably a bit of jealousy and rivalry on his part to President Trump which is understandable. With all of his public service, he was not elected to the highest office in the nation. Mr. Trump had never held any political office which must have been a blow to Mr. McCain.
There is a reason that Americans voted for a non politician such as Donald Trump rather than one who had spent years in political office. The politicians failed the people and they wanted change. President Trump promised the change they craved. He delivered.
2
I'm a firm believer in the concept of karma that postulates "You reap what you sow" or "You get what you give in perfect measure." In the context of Donald Trump, such a concept translates to a surging mountain of trouble that will envelop and consume Trump...And it couldn't happen soon enough and to a more deserving fellow.
7
I spent part of my morning looking up John McCain's life and his response to the time spent as a POV. While he might not have been offended by Trump's words, I am. Having lived with a father who was changed by what he did and witnessed during war, I have great gratitude to those who serve my country and my safety whether I agree with the deployment or not. The idea of perfection in a man or woman is part of thesis that promotes black and white thinking which has been used to expect a lot from McCain. Rather I liked Bruni's column for what it was, a reflection an imperfect, messy and wonderful human being who did try. How loved he has been by those who really know him.
8
John McCain voted for this latest tax plan that will add $10 Trillion of debt over the next ten years.
$67,000 per tax payer all so the billionaires could get richer.
So did Lindsey Graham, Susan Collins, Jeff Flake, Lisa Murkowski, and Bob Corker.
In this case, they are not patriots. They sold out our country to their donors.
Again.
22
Both of your numbers are grossly incorrect.
As for billionaires, the richest billionaires in the US are Democrats and the richest member of Congress is a Democrat. No Billionaire Democrats have vowed to donate their tax windfall to the US Treasury. Check Forbes.
1
As much as I want to compliment you on this excellent commentary, I even more want want to express my sincere appreciation to you for taking the time to respond to many (all?) of the people who comment on your OpEds. I often read comments to many of the opinions I read as I find many of the comments to be almost as thought provoking as the OpEd itself. I'm sure this must take a great deal of your time to provide such in-depth comments, but I also find that this greatly adds to the dialogue - something this country needs much more of these days. Not looking for a reply; just wanted to thank you for making the extra effort, something we can all learn from.
11
It is sad what Sen. John McCain is going through, the indignity and pain of dealing with terminal brain cancer. But although we can empathize with Sen. McCain's health struggles, it is also necessary—because it is about the struggles of our public realm—to be forthright about the failings of his anti-Trump efforts.
Like his fellow Arizonan Sen. Jeff Flake and other putatively Trump-averse Republicans, McCain talks a good rhetorical game but backs it up with next to nothing. While he deserves kudos for his vote against the ACA repeal, otherwise McCain has passed up opportunities to be a real check on Trump.
All of these Republicans critical of Trump lack the courage of their convictions. Are they stopping Trump from stocking the judicial bunch with right wing ideologues? Are they declaring themselves independents and caucusing with the Democrats so as to shift the balance in the Senate and provide a check on Trump's power? Are they going to the legislative barricades to protect the Mueller investigation?
No, they are doing none of those things. They have actual power to check Trump but they aren't using it. It seems that ultimately their partisan attachments outweigh their declared commitment to the preservation of small "d" democratic norms.
Their words may imply a "battle" but in reality they have surrendered to Trump.
31
The downside of having survived into old age is the realization that I have outlived the best years of the USA. Perhaps we became, for ourselves and much of the world, a promise too big for the limitations of human nature.
I'm sure that Senator McCain has a more thorough grasp of this than I but I sense he is a man committed to serving the obligations imposed by his sense of honor above all else. That is what defines his "battle with Trump". By the caliber of his character, the Senator has already established the standard by which correction of our nation's current defilement must proceed.
4
I feel a great sorrow since John McCain told the world about the cancer. I admire and love him spite of all our political differences. I hated when he, Graham and Ayote would come out against common sense stuff like healthcare or going along with McConnell to obstruct Obama’s agenda. He is not my Senator but I wrote him a lot of sometimes heated letters, reminding him his votes impacted all Americans and begging him to break from the lockstep obstructionism of the Republican pack. He is not forgiven for what he did to Merrick Garland and the disrespect towards President Obama.
I voted for John McCain in his first run for the presidency. This was an important milestone for me as a newly minted US citizen. I still remember the elation of being able to choose a candidate for the most powerful country on the planet after living under a military dictatorship for 21 years. I think this is why I hold him up to my highest standards for upholding our democratic institutions. I am thankful he is still fighting for our democratic values. I feel happy he is not going quietly into the night.
I will love and respect Senator McCain always.
5
It's quite possible that McCain's choice of Sarah Palin coarsened the political conversation in America sufficiently to allow Donald Trump to seem less shocking, less unthinkable. Just as the Internet has coarsened the social conversation beyond anything that could have been dreamed of twenty years ago.
But at the end of the day, we the people are responsible for how things turn out. This is a democracy - a highly flawed system that happens to be better than anything else that's ever been tried -- and we can't let ourselves off the hook because of this or that. We let this happen. We own it. If we want things to get better, we have to read and listen critically and we HAVE TO VOTE!!
16
McCain's courage and valor are unquestioned. Except by Trump. Yet as even McCain himself admits, his choice of Palin for VP opened the door for that kind of divisive un-humble character to enter the arena. Too bad that decision will be a large part of his legacy as well.
12
McCain supported Republican tax cuts for the rich and austerity for everybody else. Recognizing Trump’s gaucheness is no reason to praise someone, especially someone who voted for the policies Trump supports.
Whatever happened to the Resistance?
20
Thank you for this column. My husband and I are senior citizens who have been so depressed about where we see our country going. We always felt America was something special with a strong free press and valuing the worth of all people. We stood up for things. We went through shameful periods--one that we remember is having to fight for the civil rights of all Americans. But we came through a little better. We know we had farther to go (even before Trump). Now we do not know where our country stands. For us, it is still a belief in the worth of all people and compassion for those who are living in conditions, no matter here or elsewhere, that people should not have to endure. We have so much concern that we will ever get back to what we believe our country stands for----and doubt it will in what is left of our lifetime.
20
It is disheartening to acknowledge that some find Senator McCain’s efforts to stand up for decency and American ideals lacking and/or underwhelming. McCain is a man facing the end of his life, and he has taken his precious time left and spent some of it continuing to serve his country and promote his values. Many men would retreat to selfish indulgence or even self-pity.
I mostly disagree with McCain on policy, and I certainly shudder remembering his campaign’s foisting of Palin on the American electorate, but I revere McCain’s courage and devotion that remain until the bitter end. Thank you, Senator McCain, for fighting to make our country one I’m proud to live in. I only hope others follow in your wake; soon it may be too late.
17
HR, thank you. I agree with every sentence in your comment.
I fear DT is a symptom of our failures as a country, that we are on the decline, and he will help accelerate that decline. I've heard it said that we get the leaders we deserve. They are a reflection of us. This is a sad and scary time for our country. I'm not so sure we will be able to undo Trump's damage. Statesmen like John McCain are nearly extinct, and we need them desperately.
6
If he had stood up earlier, who knows?
16
Our strange and complicated politics!
McCain’s campaign mgr was Steve Schmidt who as the Times wrote, first championed Sarah Palin for the running mate…. “ a bold move, he told McCain, that could win him the White House. Instead, her selection was widely viewed as one of the most calamitous political judgments in modern presidential politics.”
And McCain accepted it.
Schmidt is now one of the harshest critics of the calamitous Trump and his administration, saying, “We’ve never quite seen the assemblage of crooks, outright weirdoes, wife beaters, drunk drivers, complete and total incompetents that’s been assembled.”
Wonder what words he'd use for Palin now? I always find his appearances on MSNBC compelling. What spectacular outrage!
10
I will remember John McCain as a turning point in my life. He is the last Republican I cast a vote for in the presidential primaries. We know how that ended. Bush and Rove spread rumors about McCain fathering an illegitimate black child. McCain lost the south and the candidacy. He rightfully called those southern Evangelicals "Agents of intolerance." I agreed. In fact, I not only left the Republicans, I left my Evangelical faith. He went to Liberty U and apologized. I walked away and never looked back. In the ensuing years I saw less and less of the McCain I once admired. He became another cog in the wheel of right wing politics. Occasionally, a glint of his integrity would shine among the GOP trash heap. Unburdened now of the constraints of party, I look forward to Mr. McCain taking his last ride on the straight talk express. Though we have parted ways ideologically long ago, Senator McCain will always have a soft spot in my heart. He's a good man. God speed.
13
McCain speaking out? The very idea of what McCain would have needed to do in order to be heard in today's America is beneath the man.
We might have well wished Nat "King" Cole played louder and burned his piano on stage.... or that Dan Gable dressed in an executioner's mask, .....or maybe that Chuck Yeager wore a "Captain America" outfit.
Today, a great leader making an eloquent plea falls about as flat as a poetry reading at a tractor pull. We have leaders. We have greatness all around us. We aren't listening.
6
John McCain gave us the likes of Donald Trump by picking a complete joke of a running mate. Dying won’t change that.
14
The other side of that coin is that Time Kaine gave us the likes of Donald Trump by picking a complete joke of a running mate. The Blame Game is fun. Don't you think?
Far too little to late.
12
That Senator McCain had to wait until he was dying to speak the truth speaks volumes about the state of not only his party, but of our democracy.
14
John McCain voted for the #GopTaxScam which will benefit his family and hurt his constituents for decades to come. He could have been a hero in his final votes but he chose not to - that is his legacy along with votes for all of the self dealing, incompetent, unqualified destructive cabinet members. That is how I will remember John McCain - he could have done so much more.
22
Funny how many of you who don't like President Trump's style like McCain's. To me McCain was only a part time Republican taking up space for a real one. I think his criticism of President Trump is and was over the top which really means he was part of the do nothing swamp.
2
Enough of this lionizing! We all cheered when he came came back to vote on the proposed abolition of the Affordable Care Act. But then he voted for the disgusting tax cuts for the rich just the same. He has a spine but for some very very small reasons.
12
This is absurd; McCain voted to grant tax cuts to billionaires.
All to set the stage to defund Social Security and Medicare.
The evil that men do....
16
Everyone makes mistakes. One of McCain's biggest was agreeing to run with Palin. That aside, and yes, it's quite a bit large to sweep under the rug and move on, compared to Trump, McCain has made an effort on behalf of our nation in a way that our current president couldn't possibly touch.
As a nation, we ought to have been offended to our core when Trump blabbered that he likes people who weren't captured. Trump is a complete fraud, with or without bone spurs on whatever foot they may or may not be on.
To recover from this president, the American people need to vote for a thoughtful, respectful candidate. We were able to elect Obama. God help us that we can elect someone of a similar profile to recover from this nonsense.
5
Living in AZ for much of Senator McCain's service in Washington, we certainly don't agree politically on many things but one thing I have noted is he does not lie like most politicians. His love for this country should always go unchallenged being one of the few republicans that speak out against the dictator currently occupying the WH. In watching him all these years, he also does not throw people under the bus like our current president.
Being a person who wonders why a person with such character would want to be a republican, especially in this day of lying, liars and all that comes with it, I can still respect Sen McCain. Not only do I respect him for his military service but his service to our country in standing up to this deplorable liar.
I lost my brother year before last in 4 months to this horrible brain cancer. It knows no class, whether you are an immigrant just crossing the border or a sitting US Senator, it marches on it's deadly course. I only hope that Senator McCain would be an exception and I wish him the best and a big thank you for your service, sir.
3
There will always be derisive, thoughtless lightweights. what's horrifying is how many Americans are totally fine with this.
4
It's hard to share your affection for McCain or any of the other GOP leaders who remained silent on the sidelines while Trump slimed his way into the presidency under the banner of the party. Trump is nothing; he's not a republican, certainly has no other ideology other than Trumpism, Meism, Suckers and Losers vs. Trump.
But McCain should have been shouting against Trump all day, every day from the time of Trump's inglorious and ignominious announcement of his candidacy. God knows we all were screaming bloody murder from our perches in front of the TV every day.
The GOP gets no pass for stitching together this Frankenstein in the oval office. They laid the groundwork for him, supported him, elected him, and now play toady to anything he wants, Trump's so-called agenda, whatever that is.
Surely, the pendulum will swing back soon toward something resembling courage, moderation and decency among republicans. I only hope we will recognize it when we see it. McCain could have and should have done more.
8
Give me a break, Frank. McCain--whose stance on torture I'm grateful for--was prepared to unleash Sarah Palin on us and that was only because he was persuaded not to try to unleash Joe Lieberman on us.
And his former campaign staff now seem to set themselves as moral arbiters despite the foregoing.
Seriously. McCain doesn't deserve a hagiography--just admiration for some things, and not for others.
9
Yeah, yeah, we know, John McCain is a hero, etc. The reason I can't go along with this hagiography is because of this completely denialist sentence: "Did she (Palin) help pave the way for Trump? What a cruel irony if so." Um, yes, Mr. Bruni. Resoundingly, yes. I remember the feeling I had in the pit of my stomach when Palin was nominated and her shrill, whiny, narcissistic, uneducated, un-nuanced screeds of birtherism and dog whistles made me feel...exactly like I do now. The way to Trump was paved in part by Palin, and McCain enabled her every step of the way. 2008 was the year our national conversation trended towards strident partisanism. I appreciate Mr. McCain's principles (in comparison to shills like Ryan) and I'm sorry he's dying, but it's better to take honest stock before you go than gloss over the biggest mistake of a life.
20
physically brave yes, beyond measure. but McCain opened the door for DT by bringing Palin, a femake Trump, to national orominence despite her utter lack if qualifications or ideas or moral leadership so forever shame
7
Sorry, I have respect for Sen. McCain as a true patriot who served in Vietnam and was then vilified by Trump. HOWEVER, to support the Republican ticket in 2016; to choose Sarah Palin as a running mate- what a cheap shot at so called feminism- to show up to vote away healthcare last year for millions of ordinary Americans; then say nothing while Planned Parenthood was deprived of funding for American women, and Johnny Isaacson showed up in a wheelchair to do that ded with Mike Pence: please Frank Bruni, this is a travesty. He has been acting in his own self interest and in the interest of the far Right for quite awhile now and maybe you need to do some research on the Keating Five, which people have forgotten. Check it out, people!
We can give him kudos for what he says in this book which is about to appear. But it is too little too late from someone who has benefited from his elected offices. Ask about the giving of mineral right to a mining company in Arizona which is in a protected area. You are not very well informed here.
8
I have grown to admire John McCain since the 2016 election, even more than during his presidential campaign, when he faced off with the woman’s “he’s an arab’” comment. A gentleman to the core and a good Republican. I grew up in a bi-partisan family and no one ever argued over politics—but there were lively discussions. Game over now.
Trump is a dry-drunk narcissist, and will never create a legacy like McCain’s, because he has no courage—a quality of the noblest—but he has already achieved infamy, through cowardly acts of false bravado, a stain that cannot be removed by magical thinking, aka “FakeNews”. With 3,700 lies and counting, he easily qualifies as Worst President in History”!
3
Were it not for Karl Rove, McCain would’ve been the Republican nominee for President instead of GWB, based on his huge win in NH in 2000. That messy business about his “illegitimate” daughter in SC the week following is a stain on the GOP and it’s election tactics.
Too bad. For all of us.
2
Few Republicans show some backbone.
The political cartoonist, HERBLOCK, gave us a preview of what we can expect from people who do not speak out, writing about Joseph McCarthy in "Persona Au Gratin" in his book, Here and Now (1955)
A copy is available at the Herb Block Foundation.
Here's a sampling:
“... on the matter of McCarthy's too long-delayed comeuppance.
After a tough fight everyone likes to think that what he did was exactly the right thing. The, who joined in at the kill, feel they appeared at just the right time. And those who didn't join in at all can come out from under the beds afterwards ….
If there are enough of these, the people who bore the brunt of the battle may find themselves … being attacked or having been too militant.”
...
“The fact is that McCarthy's fraud was apparent from the start, and the case against him had always been well-documented. … no time was too early to speak up about him, and there was no time when ... his party … could not have smacked him down…. He had taken to attacking Republicans as well as Democrats.…. No one had to wait four or five years or to any mystic divining to know what this character was like. There was nothing secret about the fact that the way to deal with him was to stand up to him and to condemn his actions.
For all the talk about him …. being a political Lone Wolf he was never really alone. He couldn't have achieved his peculiar and success alone. What sustained him was not so much his gullible followers
2
Absolutely brilliant comment. “A reminder that we can no longer trust America to the Americans.”
Trump has always been a vacuous blowhard, a mostly harmless (except for some fragile coastal land in Scotland & Ireland) 2nd-rate celebrity. The fact that so many of our fellow citizens would actually vote for this petulant criminal is what’s so horrifying: these are the very same folks who, born 80 years earlier in another place, would have been fervently cheering their bloodlust at the Nuremberg rallies.
5
The US system of apportioning political representation is just another tile in the mosaic of psychopathy of a nation still burdened with structural accommodations to slavery.
Perhaps it's in contrast with the vile person occupying the Oval Office that McCain glows, suddenly, saintly. I think his place in history as a man who cares about universal good is forever marred by his vote of support for the big 2017 tax cut / money grab for the rich. His support for it even surprised me as I hoped that he'd be a better man at the end.
6
I want to remind everyone of how often and how many Democrats said that John McCain "is not fit to be President" when he was the Republican nominee.
As a friend of mine said, "If you demonize everything you don't like, eventually you normalize demons."
2
Senator McCain is the face of the war-mongering military industrial complex. He has never met a war he did not like, and has never failed to find war a successful solution for any occasion. I am no Trump apologist or supporter, but surely John McCain is no savior for the situation. He is clearly insane in his views and his support for Ukrainian regime change and all other "conflicts" he supported, no matter the heinous results. I am glad he was never president. Comparing him to Trump legitimizes both men and your portrayal of McCain as a statesman is surely intended to be satire. You are so off base you cannot be taken seriously and surely you have lost your own perspective.
6
WELL SAID!!
1
Yes Quad, and isn't it amazing that all the good liberals posting here are seriously talking about McCain's "war heroism" apparently ignorant of or forgetting that McCain was bombing a city full of civilians when he was shot down. Looks like you and I are in a minority even here among educated liberals.
1
I would recommend looking at McCain's voting record and how it parrallels the demise of America over the past thirty years. Grace is not the word I would use.
10
How low the bar is that Mr. Bruni feels the need to eulogize McCain, the politician who's fallen short a hundred times, who felt himself so superior to Obama that he called him "that one," who almost saddled us with insane Sarah Palin. Yardstick indeed.
11
I cannot remember, what role did McCain play in the nomination process for Merrick Garland?
6
I think McCain is an amazing patriot and an amazing man - but what a waste of his limited time on this mortal plane.
1
With all due respect, Frank, it won't be long before you're writing adoring pieces on the Trump children, just like you're doing now for the Bush kids. Short memories are killing America. Please remember this column 8 or 10 years from now, when you start to think about normalizing Ivanka and Jared. And think twice before you start writing fondly about G.W. Bush and his family. It really was just as bad when Bush was president as it is now with Trump.
5
Are you joking with that question of battling tRump with his dying breaths? He didn't battle him while he was well. He voted against 1 (ONE) time.
8
The look on Senator McCain's face when he talks about Trump or discusses anything about his "administration" says a lot; it's a look of restrained contemptuous disgust. McCain has sometimes irritated me over the years, even though I voted for him in '08, but now I feel nothing but compassion for him and his family for what he/they are enduring with his battle with cancer.
My own father died of lung cancer and I know how trying it can be for a family. A great essay, Mr. Bruni; keep 'em coming.
2
It is impossible to compare McCain to Trump.
Trump may be compared to Michael Corleone, although even that's not fair because Michael Corleone didn't cheat on Kay.
Joe Biden needs to step up and run for the 2020 presidency.
2
The gutter? It seems to me this paper has been in the gutter since Mr. Trump won the nomination. The front page, on any day, is more than tabloid like. The daily spewing of opinion essays, like this one, is never, never ever, countered by conservative voices. (Please don't suggest that Mr. Brooks is conservative.) And now, just when most people are trying not invade Mr. McCain's life, Frank Bruni weighs right in.
OK, then. McCain, like many republicans and democrats, have been in Washington for years. They are all responsible for much of mess we are now faced with.
5
Yet, he votes in lockstep with the president and his party. This is after being, ‘deeply’ concerned, and furrowing his brow...you know...to show his false indignation.
Whatever whitewashing of his legacy he tries to do we’ll always have his voting record to know where he really stood.
6
Have the Americans who support Trump seen Trump do his “captive John McCain” number? Or do they think it’s funny?
John McCain has served his country over and over and over. It is hardly likely anyone else will serve as much.
Job well done, Senator McCain. Thank you from no matter whether Dem or Repub. Thank you from an American.
4
The normalization of the Trump presidency is a dangerous and scary problem for our country. If we fail to call out the indecencies Trump has inflicted on the disabled, the poor, the bereaved and anyone who in Trump’s mind are not “good people “ we are a country headed for the dustbin of history. Thank you Senator McCain for your service over a lifetime. One of your greatest achievements will be to warn us against the abomination currently in the White House.
4
Unfortunately, Trump will never be able to comprehend the essence of this column. Trump, it seems apparent, suffers from the Dunning-Kruger effect, defined here by Wikipedia as "a cognitive bias wherein people of low ability have illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their cognitive ability as greater than it is. The cognitive bias of illusory superiority derives from the metacognitive inability of low-ability persons to recognize their own ineptitude; without the self-awareness of metacognition, low-ability people cannot objectively evaluate their actual competence or incompetence."
1
Yet, the man of Integrity voted lock step with Trump and the Russian Republicans on the amoral tax cut bill, sacrificing the future of our children to appease the American oligarchs.
Some hero.
7
Even those of us who were never of John McCain's political suasion are looking upon his battle against Donald Trump with deep respect. At the end of John McCain's extraordinarily heroic life.tThe Arizona senator is waging war now in the dying of his light against the worst president in American history. He has helped to makes us realize how far the inadequacies of Donald Trump -- a despot in training -- have overturned our democracy. Senator McCain has been suffering melanoma and now brain cancer for decades. He has again donned his shield and buckler -- warrior that he has been for his whole life -- and is receiving all of his friends and old colleagues at his
Hidden Valley Arizona ranch.
The moving meeting between Joe Biden and John McCain was of two close old friends who both admitted making mistakes in their political lives. But mistakes are more easily overcome in life than evil manifested by the most powerful man on earth. Biden didn't run against Trump in 2016. His beloved son, Beau Biden was dying of brain cancer. McCain in 2008 chose the Tea Party ex-governor of Alaska as his running mate. McCain, advancing against Trump in his new memoir "the Restless Wave ", will be remembered in American history as our Jeremiah. John McCain is still in the midst of his life - a man of consummate grace. Donald Trump, we know, is a man of colossal hubris and ignorance and immorality. He is grinding down America's democracy day by chaotic day.
2
Yet he supported him in the election. Where was he when it counted
7
To read the comments makes a joke out of this column. I am no great admirer of John McCain but he is dying and people are writing to detest him for voting for the tax bill. Really? Then those same people lament the lack of civility we ostensibly had in the good old days.
3
John McCain was a celebrity politician too, albeit from his notoriety for his service. I salute and admire him.
Then he got elected, and he's been a lousy politician. Without his genuflecting towards the media, there would be little notoriety; his thing was "pork barrel" spending and there's as much government largesse as any point in human history. He favors the unpopular "policeman" approach to foreign policy that's unpopular at home and abroad. What a terrible President he would have been.
Recently, he's proven himself to be a liar. He got elected on a platform to repeal Obamacare and sunk the bill to scrap it. He couldn't beat a black man with a middle-eastern name less than a decade after 9/11. He gave us Palin. When I think of
I wish him peace and comfort for the remainder of his days. But let's not be confused--he's as much a part of the Swamp as the rest, and if he were elected, we would certainly be mired in a third war.
2
John McCain does not appear to be a bad man. Would I prefer him as president to our current moronic, infantile, personally despicable Mussolini wannabe? In a heartbeat; even though I disagreed with most of what he has championed during his political career, he actually does his homework, understands policy, and does not base his decisions primarily on hurting or angering opponents. Or what he sees daily on a right wing talk show. But McCain's political reputation among the elite media has always been far better than deserved. He has spent most of his Congressional career as a bog standard right wing Republican. A few feints to the (very relative) left of Republican dogma in 2000 gave him his famous reputation (very partially deserved at best) as a maverick. All of which he repudiated by 2008, as ran to the right as fast as he could and selected a proto-Trump no-nothing as his running mate (which he now claims to regret). A McCain repudiation of the worst aspects of modern Republicanism and Trumpism during the 2016 campaign might have been meaningful. Making them now is, to be quite trite, way too little and way too late.
John McCain has earned himself an honorable, enduring legacy whether or not he utters one more word in public. However, how fabulous -- how timely -- it would be if he took the microphone one more time, in primetime, to revile Trump in an eloquent, no-holds-barred, honest assessment of his wholly dishonorable presidency.
We Americans the nation over would cheer in our dens and living rooms, at our computers and smartphones for this speech by an American policy sage and hero -- for it would instantly throw in overdrive the momentum to banish this disgraceful president.
2
"how fabulous -- how timely -- it would be if he took the microphone one more time, in primetime, to revile Trump in an eloquent, no-holds-barred, honest assessment of his wholly dishonorable presidency" --- I get the feeling he is probably too sick to do this. Though it is still possible he will rally.
I remember crossing over to vote Republican in the Ohio primary of 2000 in order to cast a ballot for John McCain, as did many Democrats I knew.
Part of the reason was to make George W. Bush look bad, and part was to send a message about how Bush people had slandered McCain in South Carolina with a push poll, alleging the McCain had fathered a black girl out of wedlock.
I never voted for John McCain again, and I found him exasperating. On one day McCain would come close to being a political hero, and the next day he would be a jerk, because of his hawkish views.
Over the years, John McCain was much classier than George W. Bush ever was and much more honest than were Bush and most Republicans in the Senate and House.
Beyond the dignity Senator McCain demonstrated with Barack Obama, McCain typically would insist that Republicans should state their positions openly and then let the votes determine an issue. He would firmly insist upon “Regular order.”
The serial lying of Donald Trump is far worse than Bush’s dissembling, and the self-centered Trump sleaze disgusts John McCain. This may be McCain’s finest hour, and I hope he lives long enough to witness Trump’s ultimate undoing.
1
Frank: One English major to another. Do not use the word "gorgeous" to describe what Stephens wrote. You don't, I hope, want most of its meanings.
"Trump cited bone spurs in his heels to avoid Vietnam. McCain, a Navy pilot, had an arm broken and ribs cracked during the torture that he endured while imprisoned by the North Vietnamese."
If Trump had been a POW and offered early release (as was McCain), is there any doubt he would have taken it?
Just wondering.
2
Frank,
What a joy to see you responding to your readers' comments. I look forward to your continuing to do so. Perhaps you might even convince some of your colleagues to follow suit.
1
Grace is lacking in every one of us every now and then, Frank. Why, the NYT itself, on several occasions, was graceless when it differed with McCain. Newspapers, like poltiicians are largely sans grace. Sometimes are own "too-keen itches" get in the way of our own good judgment. Trump is who he is. Let's all be who we are, but redolent with good graces to bestow even to the grace-less.
2
Mr Bruni,
Most impressive to have you respond to the critiques and comments of your readers. Loved it! Very enlightening. Thank you.
1
Using Trump as the yardstick to measure a man's worthiness? How low can you go? All one can say is that McCain is nowhere close to Trump. But that is a meaningless, backhanded compliment. Every human being is far above Trump.
1
I was moved by the graciousness of Senator McCain in his dealings with then-candidate Obama. Whatever his academic issues were at The United States Naval Academy, he left there with some core values. For that, he has earned a certain level of respect from this sailor.
1
A good life is lived flat out following your values, and a leader is one who leads by example. Follow John McCain young Americans and you will make 'America Great Again'.
Towards the end of this article, John McCain talks about how friendships with progressive politicians have enriched his life. A laudable stance, but an easy one, with those who are like-minded on the other side of the aisle.
Suppose, that after he chastised those who believed Obama was an Arab, Muslim, and/or born in Kenya, these chided citizens were to say “That is just what the liberal deep-state wants us to believe. You’re misguided and I’m writing in Donald Trump when voting for President in 2008.”
Today’s plight is not so much about fighting the gaslighting narcissist at the top as it is about the citizens that put him there. Remove Trump from office, a similar buffoon will replace him. The real enemy of the people are the people.
1
Senator John McCain has had a full life so far and lucky to have had infinite opportunities to serve our great country over the past 50 years. He is now a hero to some because he is battling our president Donald Trump. To assume that he is dying is an exaggeration of his imminent death considering he is receiving the best health care any American will ever receive. Reminds me of Twain's immortal words "The news of my death is highly exaggerated" The new found boost that McCain is getting from ultra lefties like Bruni cannot erase the stench of regime change war deaths and innocent victims displaced from their homelands in the middle east which McCain advocated and strongly supported without any credible evidence that these wars were worthwhile. Americans are not stupid to fall for a play of words to make someone seem heroic when he or she is really not that great. As far as I am concerned, McCain has been just another politician who was and is as selfish as any other. McCain's outspoken bold daughter, Meghan on the other hand has a bright future and could make a formidable impact on American policies towards world peace.
2
A person who was really concerned about moral leadership and ethics would have not picked Sarah Palin as his running mate, run a dirty campaign against Barack Obama or remained silent about the dangers of Trump until it was convenient not to do so. McCain is a template of the failure of American politics. It is just that in this day and age of utter corruption within the Republican party, that he seems better than others. However, that is not saying much.
3
John McCain apparently has been a Mensch personally, the anti-Trump. But as others have noted, he's been nothing, save for the one ultimately meaningless thumbs down, but complicit with the Trump/Koch/Bush, etc. foreign and domestic agenda, not to mention with the gun lobby. He is a right winger, just not crazy and perhaps a bit less of a hypocrite vs. McConnell. Wish him well personally, but the less (of )politicians like him in power, the better. As for father Bush, he gave us Clarence Thomas. Nuff said.
1
At this point in his life, Senator John McCain deserves a bit of calm and perspective -- alas, that's not coming from the links at Mar-a-Lago or the White House. Someone who has devoted a considerable part of his life to public service (even though we don't often agree about the details) has given up much -- and comparisons with the "occupant" of the White House, who won't give up anything (and certainly not the truth) manifest such a horrid contrast to McCain.
May the remaining days be decent ones, Senator, and your opinions at this point deserve their sharp edge and flavor of remonstration. You're speaking out against Evil: thank you.
1
Too little, too late.
Sorry, there is no other way around it.
3
When I was a boy in the 60s, we had TV news at 6 pm and again at 11 p.m. The reporters and newscasters were respected and honorable people. Walter Cronkite, Huntley & Brinkley, Peter Jennings and, later Rather, Brokaw and others. There was a common understanding of what the truth was.
Senators did not grandstand or use vulgar language. Bragging was the hallmark of a low level, ignorant, and uneducated person - a poor hick who did not know better.
I had a sense, as a 10 or 12 year old boy, that the U.S. was being led by decent, mature, kind, intelligent and well mannered people. We were in good hands.
Today we have low lives in Congress and the White House. There are so many people there of ill repute, including braggadocios who are self-serving and small-minded charlatans. It no longer feels like the “good folks” are in charge.
It feels like the perverts are in charge.
The creepy people have taken over. It makes me feel sad. And nostalgic for the days when someone like Trump would have been laughed off the stage the first time he showed that jutting chin of his.
2
What we have here is a case of noblesse oblige, on the one hand, and selfish entitlement, on the other.
At its most fundamental level, the difference between Trump and McCain is that McCain, agree with him or not, has devoted himself to a life of public service. Trump, on the other hand, has devoted himself to a life of extravagantly self-enriching self-promotion. McCain was locked up and tortured in service to his nation. Trump, on the other hand, is torturing his nation and deserves to be locked up.
Rarely, if ever, do their circles overlap. McCain, in his last, dying breaths, is putting the country first. Trump, with every breath, merely pretends that he does.
2
Did McCain, Collins, Graham, Corker and Flake vote for this unfair tax law that benefits Trump and the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the less fortunate in our society? Also the budget has increased the national debt and squander our wealth on defense. I do believe that McCain is a hero and an honorable man which Trump is not.
This is what patriotism looks like. John McCain has spent his life walking the high road. We can't thank him enough. There's no greater love of country than that shown to us by Senator McCain. Keeper of the flame.
2
Until Sarah was brought onto the ticket with Senator McCain, I was SO ready to vote for him! And all these years I have, apparently, been deluding myself with the belief that "others" were responsible for her elevation (so far above her talents and experience).
When it happened, I could not believe the political cynicism that proposed to place that woman next to someone with McCain's stature - - and a literal heartbeat from the highest office in the land. She was, indeed, a harbinger of things to come.
Even so, John McCain is - and will remain - a true lion among a rabble composed largely of alley cats and he will be sorely missed.
1
I mean absolutely no disrespect to Sen. McCain who has served our country long and well and in so many different ways. Regarding Trump, Sen. McCain has not actually battled. He has talked a lot and has done exactly nothing.
2
Thank you for this writing, Mr. Bruni. And, Mr. McCain, and any of his family if you would happen to read these comments:
First, I can not believe the injustice of all that you, Senator McCain, have had to endure in your life and how you have courageously and unfailingly and resilienty dealt with what life threw at you (and, also how you dealt with your own human failings)...especially in sharp comparison to life the person currently in the Oval Office ..and how he chooses to deal with his human failings and the incredible luck his life has been graced with. -Just thinking of life”s treatment of him versus life fe’s treatment of you makes me feel ill.
I have not agreed with you on critical issues, but always, always, always I believed you truly cared about our country. The meanness of some writings chills me. Who among us is perfect? ..NO ONE. ..So, I am saddened and aghast at some of the meanness.
I stand in respect and gratitude to you Senator McCain. — I can not imagine being a prisoner -of -war.. But, like other regular people, can relate to having people ion the earth who are snarky, who lie, and who are mean. You..and how you handle those types of people and their sentences —as well as and how you have handled your entire life give me inspiration.
Thank you, Senator McCain.
May only good and happy and peaceful energy surround you..and
may you feel the gratitude of the many regular people, like me, who thank you and hold you in great respect.
1
This makes me so sad, on do many levels.
1
Thank you Frank Bruni.
For reminding me of what I already knew, but can sometimes forget - amidst the blizzard of dysfunction and division that flows out of the WH on a daily basis - that John McCain is my American hero. (just wish he would give all that bloody NRA money he got to good cause)
Alas, you had remind me as well of what I wish I could forget - that Trump profoundly degrades and debases the office of president. The first guttersnipe to inhabit the WH.
Republican leadership is equally responsible for every one of Trump’s transgressions. Why focus on Trump alone?
1
Excellent op, Mr. Bruni.
I finished reading recalling whomever the politician was who made the remark, "he should just die already," about McCain, and how that childish and poisonous point of view is just so the current brand hijacking the terms Republican and Conservative, one that calls itself the NRA, the Tea-Party, etc.
1
All politicians get graded on a curve. As such, McCain inevitably comes out pretty high on the list. Those of us more on the progressive side of the aisle probably put more weight on moments that even McCain admits were not his best. What is really disturbing is not that the current President of the United States is arguably the worst ever to hold the office, but,in fact, arguably the worst human being that many of us have ever experienced PERIOD by the simple standards of decency and empathy. To think that this is not a hyperbolic statement...incredible.
Many Republicans would have preferred one of the other 16 the candidates vying for the the presidential nomination. However, after seeing John McCain in 08 and Mitt Romney in 12 eviscerated and slimed by various media it was clear that only Trump could stand up and persevere the onslaught. Trump beat the media( this one included) at their own game...thank God.
1
What are we to make of McCain’s having taken more than $8 million in NRA money? Where is the honor in that? He’s hopelessly compromised, and it’s a measure if how low the bar had fallen that we find his tepid resistance to this horrible excuse for a president praiseworthy. I’m sorry he’s ill, but that occasion should not be an excuse to give him a pass for the many terrible decisions he has made to put his despicable party over the good of the country and its people. He’s resisted politically when the stakes were low. That’s not courageous. It’s expedient. And the choice of Palin was beyond the pale. That elevation of idiocy is inexcusable. If that decision is an example of the quality of his judgment, he is unqualified to serve in congress. The only reason he gets away with it is because people fear an even more extreme replacement from rabidly right-wing Arizona. He should have retired ages ago.
CNN headlines read "McCain tells Biden he's worried about the state of the country". Well the state of the country is more McCain and Bidens fault than Trump's. The state or better called mess this country is in is because of the old career politicians who have not made the right and tough decisions we need especially on immigration.
1
John McCain should be applauded. A TRUE American hero and great patriot. How cowardly of Trump to mock McCain’s Vietnam service while he stayed home on a flimsy medical excuse. Trump probably wrote that medical opinion as well. McCain shone brightest when he defended Obama’s character during their campaign. Frank, thank you for a well-deserved and wonderful tribute to Senator McCain.
1
I respect John McCain very much and do not wish him ill, but, the fact is, like the rest of the Republican Party he has been an enabler of Trump. And, yes, it's hard to forgive him for Palin. In some ways I believe that decision set us down the collision course we're currently on.
Please. McCain's career has been a study in relentless personal ambition and slavish devotion to the radical right wing agenda.
McCain voted with Trump right down the line, pausing only to extract personal revenge from Trump with his dramatic last minute thumbs-down on the gutting of the ACA. And that was Kabuki theater since he knew that Trump and his henchmen would do everything possible to gut the ACA with a concerted ex-legislative administrative/regulatory attack. Which they did.
That's not fighting. That's collaborating.
1
I remember the days of the McCain "Straight Talk Express".
Sadly, Senator McCain should have resurrected the express against Trump, the grifter from Queens. However, McCain lost much of his credibility in his embrace and homage of G.W. Bush and selection of another intellectually challenged person from Alaska as his running mate.
Senator McCain would do this country a great service if he became more vocal about the sad and sordid presidency that Trump is visiting on this country.
John McCain is one of the last remnants of a time when it seemed paradoxical that bitter political opponents could be close, personal friends. But it's not that paradoxical at all, when people live and work together, when they have the same local problems of trash collection or snow removal all around the DC area, even though they may come from Maine or New Mexico. Classic friendships like McCain and Bob Kerrey ( a Medal of Honor winner) and Biden, or like Scalia and RBG, Rehnquist and Marshall, give a grace to an otherwise ugly swamp.
Trumpism doesn't allow for friendships across the aisle, and neither did its birthmother, the Tea Party.
I don't agree with much of Senator McCain's stances, but I do appreciate his personal battle against racism, and his having been a victim of it in the South Carolina primary in 2000, where the Bush campaign twisted the McCains' adoption of a Bengali girl, their daughter, Bridgette, into a spurious claim that he had an "illegitimate Black child", implying something sordid instead of beautiful. As one of my kids is both adopted and not White, I am empathetic and highly aware of racism re: him.
But McCain seems one of the last warriors against "Trumpublicanism" as so many others have either succumbed (Grassley), eagerly jumped aboard (Mark Meadows), or decided to retire (Rodney Frelinghuysen) leaving fewer and fewer governors on Trumpist excesses.
1
I wish McCain had spoken out more against Trump when he was still active in Congress. And I wish more of McCain's Republican colleagues will read his book and feel ashamed.
John McCain's public identity for decades was carefully built around his military service and time in a POW camp. But Mr. McCain wasn't the only one who fought for this country, tens of thousands just like him suffered and died in Vietnam without any fanfare or political reward. What set John apart was his family history of military service and money. Money that came from the sale of a family owned 2,000 acre farm in Mississippi. A farm which under McCain family ownership prior to the Civil War owned slaves. There are sharecroppers in that area today who identify themselves as the "black McCains". In 1980 John divorced his wife Carol, who nurtured him upon his return from Vietnam and suffered her own debilitations for a woman 18 years his junior. The point to all this is that John has his soft underbelly as all of us do, but the media has been very careful in not pointing this out. John's been placed too high up on a pedistal and left to rest that when someone like Trump throws an opinionated insult at him he goes into meltdown and is determined to have the last say. It's unbecoming to his legacy, the Republican Party and fodder for the biased media.
1
Sadly the two most crystallized memories I have of John McCain were his 'bomb, bomb, bomb Iran' parody & the inflicting of Sarah Palin on the national scene.
John McCain may be an honorably devoted patriot & public servant, a welcome balance to the hateful, backward culture of what was to emerge as the neo-confederate Obama-hating spectre of Sarah Palin's redstate rebellion, which gave us Trump.
But he's an old-school warmonger, the sort of 'american exceptionalist' who believes that American militarism is the answer to the world's issues.
One would have hoped he'd have evolved from that obsolete, disastrously disproved ethic, yet a die-hard militarist he remained through & through.
McCain remains on the right side of history in defying his servile, corrupt party over Trump, & for once taking the mike away from a bigoted supporter that day, instead of affirming her prejudice as Trump would have.
But McCaine's now as antiquated a version of Republicanism to Trumpism as Lincoln was to McCain.
How discouraging for Sen. McCain, the last living solid citizen in the GOP, to live to see what became of his party.
2
I didn't vote for John McCain but what wouldn't I give for a President McCain now?
Mr. Bruni errs in pronouncing a 'dying breath battle' of Senator McCain with the President. I am only a lawyer, not a historian but I suggest a review of the Senator's voting record in the U.S. Senator since January, 2017 to prove he largely supports the President's agenda. What the author objects to is that the Republican Party has moved on from the era of George H.W. Bush, McCain and hangers on like Bret Stephens, to our new era of President Trump. We voters know the President is a strong leader who is unafraid to see there is a battle of good and evil in the world, e.g., Isis, Iran and North Korea. Unlike his predecessors , he handles his 'battles' as courageously as Senator McCain does his. We 'deplorables' know Donald Trump, facing unprecedented headwinds , is hardly the 'seeker of instant gratification in this messy world...' you so contemptuously describe, comparing him falsely to brave Senator McCain. Recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and meeting Kim Jong Un is not 'of the gutter.' We are blessed to have Donald Trump as President.
1
To me, it's more interesting and relevant to ponder the rise of a politician like Trump over the demise of McCain. We all seem to like "exciting" over stable and sound, and this is what seems to motivate the electoral base to get to the polls. As much as I have to swallow hard to put Trump in the charismatic category, because I think he is a boorish,
blathering idiot, it is really human nature to want a firebrand over a solid and thoughtful politician. The problem with Trump's ascent and McCain's decline lies more in the ability of humans to accept the dream world that politicians promise over more careful, intelligent considerations. Thoughtful, experienced and capable, i.e. Hillary Clinton, took a back seat to wild, freewheeling and irresponsible, i.e. Donald Trump.
1
Senator McCain probably would have become President in 2000, except the Bush camp said that McCain had fathered an african american child and also they spent something like 15 million or more in I believe S. Carolina to take the state. Crorrect me if I am wrong.
1
My takeaway from this article is that America should be led by men and women of caliber. It seems a reasonable thesis, and one that Senator McCain exemplifies. What shocks me is the vitriol seen in so many of the comments ignoring this point simply because Senator McCain had positions that might not be construed as "liberal," or that the Senator may have erred in the past. It is the thoughtful approach to the man, and the lack of such vitriol, that in fact makes Mr. Bruni's column convincing, showing POTUS as a poor imitation of an American hero such as the Senator. I'm a Republican and decades-long Times reader, and over past months I find myself, perhaps unnervingly, agreeing more and more with Mr. Bruni. I think this is precisely owing to his lack of calumny, his even-handedness, and focus on rational thought.
1
Without McCain's legitimizing of Sarah Palin, there is no President Trump. Period. Full stop.
2
Thank you John McCain. Oh, man do we need you now.
1
It is possible to recognize dignity, honor and a job well done, life well lived, even when you take different positions. See? It is possible. Even if the "buts" creep in, I see that as mere distraction.
I sobbed with joy when Obama was elected, wishing my father could have lived to see such a remarkable thing. I was, and am, in deep grief over the state of my country since. I grew up in D.C. as a kid and attended debates in the Senate, rode the Senators-only elevator, experienced statesmanship and I know it when I see it. and when I don't. Senator McCain is it. As someone who has marched and protested and leans so far left I get a crick in my neck, I can honestly say about John McCain: This is what democracy looks like, too.
2
If McCain, Graham and Kelly Ayotte hadn't trumped up the ridiculous, expensive and dangerous Benghazi fiction, Trump would not be President and the entire world would be a saner and safer place.
Those three liars sought to destroy Barack Obama and (when they couldn't get him) Hillary Clinton. It worked. Sadly, all decent Americans must suffer while they retire on my tax dollars.
I'm sorry McCain is sick. I lost my own father this year so I keenly sympathize. But that doesn't absolve him and his party from guilt. Without the constant lies and propaganda fed to this country through Foxnews....just imagine the United States.
4
This isn't complicated and it isn't partisan; John McCain is a man, and Donald Trump is a joke.
5
I have voted for a Republican once in my life, and I still consider that vote to be a mistake, but I can't think of anyone in public life whom I admire and respect more then John McCain. Senator McCain is the true American hero of the late 20th and early 21st century.
When Donald Trump made his stupid, mean-spirited remark about the senator, I was sure that the Republicans would never allow Trump to run on their ticket. Now they embrace him--a man who isn't fit to wipe John McCain's shoes.
I hope that some day the Republican Party will look back on this period of history and cringe at their choice of a standard bearer and their own callow behavior.
4
I will miss him very much when he goes, because, compared with the carrion-eaters that populate the current Congress, "Why, man, he doth bestride the world like a colossus!"
I could halfway forgive him for inflicting the Palinic entity on us in return for his thumbs down during the health debate. If he had thumbed it down a second time, I would be inclined to forgive him completely.
2
Bitter, dying man who is doing everything he can to hurt the president and the country before he goes.
1
It is a sad state when Mr. Bruni offers up such generous praise for a Republican who (barely) has raised criticisms about the most abhorrent president in this country's history. Mr. McCain was certainly quick to attack Barrack Obama over just about anything even though Obama is a great president and a truly honorable, decent man who put country ahead of self. Now the bar is so low that if a Republican so much as makes a peep of criticism of Don Trump, they are exulted as having great political courage. Pathetic.
1
TWO AMERICAS
What the most virulent Trump supporters like about him is that he gives them the license to abandon their obligation to try to be their best possible selves. It’s not about jobs or the economy or liberal or conservative or even abortion or the Supreme Court. It’s about the sadistic thrill of a tantrum smashing “the better angels of our nature” because mommy made me mad. Their key word is “No” and it draws its energy from defying everyone else’s “Yes,” while their goal is to make everyone else as angry as themselves until they are shouting “No” too.
What even those who voted against John McCain like about him is that he aims, for all his shortcomings, to be an honest and principled man whom one can disagree with but will always respect because of what he aspires toward: service to a cause greater than oneself. His key word is “honor” and it draws its energy from seeing others act with honor too, while his goal is to help shape America until it is the most honorable country in human history.
“No” versus “honor.” Your choice.
3
Senator, you served your country and paid a severe price for it.
Now, in this perilous time, please serve your country once more.
Say what must be said about the scoundrel and what he is doing to our country.
2
Did he endorse Hillary Clinton for President? The rest is irrelevant. And thanks for Sarah Palin!
2
How many votes did Sen. McCain cast against Trump’s unqualified cabinet nominations and hare-brained legislation?
2
Simply put, Senator McCain is a decent human being, Trump is not..
1
People will and have said that because McCain is battling cancer, he is free to speak the truth. It's really about his legacy. It's one thing to be a war hero, and he was. It's another to make a life of serving your country in the House and Senate. While I don't share his politics and continue to rue the day he let Palin out of the box, McCain has been on the job and he didn't have to do it. He has earned the right to speak his mind and to defend this experiment of a country. Our arrested adolescent of a president could learn a lot from McCain, but that would be asking too much of a man who feels he has all the answers until the next sycophant enters the room.
1
Though McCain strives to save the country from Trump, people like him and Lindsay Graham led the nutcase phony wedge religious opposition to abortion thing that undermined US policy and permitted plutocratic economic rascals in the Republican Party govern by laissez faire.
3
Is the idea of America reflected by populist aberrations such as DJT?
Or is it reflected by Sons of the Republic such as John McCain?
You tell me.
Should it take an intracranial malignancy to speak the truth?
3
For someone who's "battling Trump," McCain sure does vote with him a lot.
4
Sadly, McCain's choice of Sarah Palin opened the door to someone like Trump.
2
The joke on us is that McCain stands for much of the same.
2
John McCain is a patriot. When he is gone statues will state that fact.
Donald J. Trump is a compulsive liar; a fake who sold us out.
For example, Trump's tax cut cut cut is not a tax cut. The Trump Republicans simply added another trillion dollars more to our public debt and sliced off 90% of that in a tax-cut gift to the wealthiest.
Companies brought back billions of dollars parked in foreign countries because the tax was so much less. The billions of dollars coming back are going to buy back their own stocks, thus enriching the stock holders, not us.
The liar-in-Chief is on live television as I write this comment. He stated all "our (ICBM/Cruise) missiles are "stealth" missiles. Their radar cannot see them."
We don't have any "stealth" missiles. No one does. In other speeches Trump has bragged about our stealth fighter jets and other stealth planes he has ordered hundreds of billions of dollars worth, while school teachers are qualified for food stamps.
The stealth planes cost way more than 125 million dollars a copy. For the cost of one stupid, nearly impossible-to-fly stealth airplane we could be building 100 hybrid helicopters with limited range aluminum one-time-only jet propusion, our stealth drones peacefully hanging in the Heavens where necessary, with four cruise missiles and a kamikazi payload that arms itself upon the one-time-only throw-away jet propusion kicking in.
1
It’s a shame John McCain didn’t have the same “force” when he ran that miserably inadequate campaign against Obama and the country had to endure 8 years of his incompetence
The silence of Republicans about Trump's dishonesty, bigotry, ignorance, despicable behaviors such as lies, hush money and constant insults, and general unfitness for office is deafening.
History will not be kind to them, and most of us will never forgive them. We thought it could never happen here. In Germany, there were heroes who resisted Nazi dictatorship. But here, no response or outright collaboration from the great majority of Republicans in Congress and silent approval across the country. Hitler's march to power was first through election, then pursuit of political enemies, then discrimination and persecution of Jewish people. Part of the march was the restriction of civil liberties, of freedom of speech, of the right of assembly; purges of civil servants; and suppression of the press. Trump has nibbled on the edges of all of these, testing his limits.
Senator McCain has been one of the few to protest and to actually vote, as with his thumbs down on the attempted destruction of the healthcare of 20 million Americans. Trump is said to mimic this frequently as he rants against the senator.
McCain joins that "happy few" and "band of brothers" who stand together to protect their country, while the rest of Republicans slink away to their many vacations while corruption reigns, justice is attacked, and civil rights unravelled in favor of bigotry.
2
John McCain has absolutely no credibility with me, but I can see why he would be a hero to the neocons and neoliberals who write for these pages.
All I remember of the man is that he was always front and center — in person during the Vietnam War or by exhortation throughout the rest of his career — when some hapless Third World country was to be bombed to rubble because it did not kowtow to the power pigs in Washington.
Since sooner or later everybody dies, nobody should get a moral pass just because they're dying.
1
McCain really doesn't care about the politics of Donald Trump - He cares about a relic GOP which is dying out faster than one of those wimpy fires on, "Naked and Afraid"
When Obama served as POTUS, every night on Fox News a nostalgic reference to Ronald Reagan was made..
Today- Trump is President- When was the last time you heard ANYONE on FOX NEWS reference Ronald Reagan?
McCain himself is eerily silent- He is and always will be a GOP Hack.
Trump and the Deplorables are one and the same. It's that simple.
1
Lifelong Democrat here... McCain is the only Republican that I considered voting for .... albeit fleetingly.
1
As he faces his mortality, this is not the time to trash John McCain, so I won't. But I will not put him on a pedestal. Another time, perhaps, to put him, his life, his politics, in perspective.
John McCain, always a darling of the Left wing media until of course he dared run for President at which time they turned on him with a vengeance.
2
Of course his choice of Sarah Palin help pave the way for the election of Trump.
Please Frank spare me.
McCain voted with DJT all but except the ACA.....
If he really want to curtail DJT, he and his fellow Senator Blake would have switched to independent and caucused with the Dems, thereby, giveing the Dems control of the Senate and an airbrake on folly.
1
Beautiful. Would you please be president?
“He’s not a war hero,” said Trump. “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.”
You can’t put it better than that can you? When you are on the lookout for a boorish clod of a man, one not fit to shine the boots of a man like McCain, there he is right in front of you, pretending to be a President.
2
How so many Americans, especially veterans, can respect and support Trump completely mystifies me. Trump is many things, but perhaps most of all, he is a coward. Anyone who thinks he is “tough” has no clue what “tough” is. McCain is courage personified. Thank you, Frank, for stating this so eloquently.
2
I'm getting awfully tired of reading about what great leaders GHWB and McCain were when they took right-wing stands against women's health care, abortion, abortion rights, and Planned Parenthood. Before he was president, GHWB may have supported Planned Parenthood, and his wife may have been silently pro-choice, but GHWB replaced Thurgood Marshall with Clarence Thomas to satisfy the cruel, anti-family demands of the far right. He has never recanted, and we are stuck with Thomas for decades.
These men are not great leaders and heroes and let's stop rewriting history to call them that while we ignore their working actively to destroy fundamental rights for half the population.
2
The greatest tribute to John McCain is his 2008 concession speech. He congratulates Obama and expresses optimism for race relations in the United States. It is positive, upbeat, humble and generous. It shows the heart of a true leader and patriot in the face of personal and political defeat.
1
Senator McCain "battles Donald Trump with his dying breaths."
Too little, too late, sir.
Too little, too late.
4
McCain once observed that America is mesmerizing and at times, haunting in its glorious unknown. You will never hear that from a small, meek little creep like Trump.
I am a Vietnam veteran. I believe anyone who served is a hero. Both John Kerry and John McCain are heroes because they served at all. In both cases this service is diminished by their actual record. John Kerry sold out his fellow Vietnam comrades in false testimony before Congress and more recently sold out American interests in the Iranian deal. Based on myths about his service, John McCain has been elevated to “superhero”. This article claims that his arm was broken, and ribs cracked during torture by the North Vietnamese. That is untrue. McCain’s injuries were caused by his improper ejection procedure from his Navy jet. He was not hit by a SAM missile but instead by anti-aircraft fire caused by flying at low altitude and violating orders. His refusal to be released is laudable but his 23 propaganda broadcasts for the North Vietnamese far less commendable. Transcripts and some audio recordings of these broadcasts are available. As commanding officer at the Hanoi Hilton Col. Ted Guy but it “John McCain sang like a songbird”. Super hero or mere human hero?
1
A wonderful column, far beyond your usual standard of excellence, this one sings.
The only problem us it praises far too highly the values that brought down John McCain, his overblown sense that peace is not patriotic.
He was blown out of the skies of Viet Nam because he bought the lies of fellow “patriots” about the “fake” Sino-Soviet split that nearly erupted into full-scale war along the old USSR China border. He bought “the Domino Theory “ and crossed half the world for a fight
He was, if memory serves, flying combat support for large bombing runs meant to kill indiscriminately, but destroy the divided nation’s role as the “ricebowl of Indochina”...
...Which, still killing Viet Namese treading on, or digging fields loaded with bombs and mines that never went off, was meant to force the region to buy rice from a food-overabundant nation like the US, buying from China being too dangerous.
He refused release from a cruel POW camp, forgetting the military rule that the first job of a POW is to escape, spit into his enemy’s faces and go back to war.
Interesting, though, Trump’s brutal attack on a man who fell for the Hot spots necessary to win Cold War propaganda.
Trump says his heroes don’t get caught - by the draft (not because he was morally or ethically opposed to it, but because it meant leaving his plush environment - he never worked for peace or helped others escape its claws), or the law.
I hope Trump fails to be a hero by this standard quite soon.
Donald Trump's who we are. John McCain is who we want to be.
1
Spare me. Liberals have been everything but civil since Trump was elected.
1
Trump will be gone soon. Then you won't need to worry about it.
A five time Draft Dodger and a long time POW. A sleazy sociopath and a Patriot. What greater contrast could there be, and what greater display of our downfall. Thanks, Collaborators. November.
1
Anna- Thank you for reminding us of Mr. McCain pushing Mr. Kennedy in his wheelchair out onto the floor of the Senate. That picture 's worth a thousand words.
Thank you for such a wonderful article on a true American patriot. John McCain has more grace & class in his fingertip compared to the con artist that currently wants to dictator.
A few years from now, historians will point to this week as the moment when China’s military crossed the line by placing missiles on artificial islands in the South China Sea.
And when the historians examine the headlines and opinion section of the New York Times to understand how the US was so blindsided, they will discover only articles and editorials about the peccadilloes of President Trump.
Mr. McCain said about Mr. Obama, "He is a decent family man," but I still think it is significant that Mr. McCain never said Mr. Obama was an _American_. A drink of bitter water at best.
It's a little close to his wife's passing, but I must call you out on maintaining the GHW Bush mythmaking, which has been marvelous at conducting a great sleight of hand. Bush pere was a manufactured hero who duplicitously fronted for big money all his life, both overtly and covertly. He couldn't carry McCain's jock.
1
McCain gifted us with Sarah Palin, helping pave the way for Trump.
Tell us how McCain kicked reporters he didn't like off his campaign bus. Stand up for journalists over politicians for once.
1
I never was a great fan of John McCain, but my husband was. (He's now deceased.) When i saw McCain cast the vote that insured the Health care bill would pass, imperfect that it was and is, my heart soared. Also his telling the woman that Mr. Obama was a kind and decent family man has never left my mind.
Trump is the gutter. McCain is the shinning light of what we can be and should be. I am now a fan of McCain and i wish him and his family the best.
1
Thanks Frank. Being from Arizona, I’m so proud of our heritage and political figures like Goldwater & McCain. How strange, I campaigned for Barry in Atlantic City during the Democratic Convention; later flew with Bobby Kennedy when he announced his candidacy in Binghamton NY and have always enjoyed the maverick in McCain, even though I never voted for him.
History will write about both McCain and Trump. Historians won’t have any trouble pining the Gold ribbon on McCain. Trump followers will have a stain on their foreheads for all to see just like in the movie “Inglourious Basterds”.
1
I notice many of the letters have a "too little, too late" theme to them. Whatever you might think John McCain has done a thousand times more than the rest of his republican colleagues in confronting this very real danger to America. When a lady confronted McCain over Obama's being a Muslim he corrected her politely. The republican party now let's every found thought in its collective pea brain to roll out of their mouths without anyone in today's republican party willing to correct them. Sadly John McCain is a pariah to his own party. We should all pause and reflect on this vile state of affairs.
Remember this?
"John McCain had just said something insane." 'We need to know the full extent of Senator Obama’s relationship with ACORN, who is now on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy,' the Arizona Republican proclaimed. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/2009-acorn-scandal_us_5ae23fa6e4b02...
2
McCain was willing to put Sarah Palin a heartbeat away from the presidency. He could have pushed back against Trump when he mocked McCain for being a POW in VIetnam. I am sorry that McCain is dying, but I disagree that he did all he could to protect us from right wing buffoonery and hate.
6
Senator McCain, whatever his faults, will surely merit a new chapter in “Profiles in Courage.” Mr. Trump will lead, his various sycophants with him, in “Profiles in Cowardice.”
1
President Trump has made some very unpleasant, below-the-belt remarks before, including ones about Senator McCain’s military record. This is not a nice thing to say, but I fear Donald Trump will say that Senator McCain's wish that Trump should not attend his funeral is the result of the terrible disease attacking the Senator’s mind.
I hope President Trump does not do anything like that on this occasion.
(If the NYT thinks is not a suitable post to publish then I will understand.)
This is the NY Times' story in a nutshell.
When Sen. McCain was the maverick in the GOP in the Bush era, the collective coastal media all adored him. Everything he said had to be repeated and praised - as long as he was fighting Pres. Bush.
Then this war hero decided to run for the White House against Barack Obama!
Every ten-cent reporter who needed to join in the civil rights crusade thirty years too late called McCain every cuss word they could come up with.
McCain represented everything society never needed, from wealth to being white to whatever Times'ers could imagine.
But now that Democrats are safe from McCain, every word of his is once again worthy of adoration and praise.
The whiplashed reader is left with no idea what McCain's ideas or words were ever worth. This doesn't happen in legitimate news outlets, but it is the rule at the NY Times.
Trump is a nasty person is a given what is really scary is that his popularity seems to be growing. People are satisfied if they get few extra dollars in their paycheck. Decency counts for very little about these days.
2
That John McCain is dying while Donald Trump plagues the earth is the true obstruction of justice.
McCain paved the way for Trump. Enough said.
1
John McCain's comment to David Petraeus, brushing off Donald's idiotic statement McCain was a loser because he was captured during the Vietnam war says it all.
We have the POW, tortured for years, versus Bone Spurs, the five deferment guy who then had the nerve to describe STDs as his own personal Vietnam. And we have McCain, ignoring stupid personal attacks, versus Donald, the most thin skinned person on the planet, just seething in his myriad personal grievances.
Republicans, you need to honor John McCain by speaking out about the complete and utter unfitness of Donald. John McCain has honored himself once again by being an honest and fair critic of Donald. He can finish his life knowing that among many other things, husband, father, friend, to name a few, he was a patriot. What a warrior!
I have some respect for Sen. McCain for many reasons outlined here. But his decision to name that imbecile Palin as his VP candidate will forever be a stain on his legacy. She was the precursor to the guy in the White House today he supposedly does not like, but whom he has supported with most of his votes in the Senate, including the tax cut for the Kochs and other oligarchs.
It may seem that he is taking a principled stand against Trump, but that is only in comparison to America's racist-in-chief Mitch McConnell and the rest if his fellow Republican traitors in Congress. That is a pathetically low bar indeed.
1
Males and their egos. Boring. Let’s read about something interesting.
Bruni's homily to John McCain rubs me wrong. McCain is everything I find offensive in a politician; an uncompromising and violent man who has supported and encouraged the endless wars that have bankrupted our nation. I see no wisdom or honor; just a man used to blunt force bullying with no regard for the millions mowed down by America's misguided military interventions. The world will be a better place with his passing. Go quickly, John, and please don't reincarnate.
I'm a Democrat. I'm a hard core Democrat.
I know and like a lot of Republicans.
Donald Trump is Republican in name only. He is mainly a crook, a liar, and a great danger.
Don't lump him with all Republicans.
Except maybe only the self-serving ones who continue to do absolutely NOTHING about this man because their mindset continues to be party above country! Or like Trumps philosophy, Trump above ALL.
1
What paved the way for Trump was the Democrats and their media allies trashing decent men like John McCain, Mitt Romney, and George W. Bush while embracing the likes of Bill Clinton, who like Trump is a self-indulgent, narcissist, who never served a cause greater than himself. McCain was a heroic maverick to the media while he was opposing anything on the Republican agenda--until the minute he became the Republican nominee for president, then suddenly the liberal "elites" discovered he had lost all of his principles. Never forget the same people who are praising McCain and George H.W. Bush now are the same people who defended Bill Clinton, a credibly accused rapist and a man who used the full force of his office to trash a young intern whom he preyed on so in order to intimidate her from testifying against him, and who settled a sexual harassment case for almost a million dollars. Mr. Bruni, nice tribute to a man who deserves it, Charles Krauthammer was making the case was making the same case when it really counted, but was not popular: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR200810...
1
Frank, I love your columns, but your despise of President Trump is getting old. How about something positive instead? Write something about Richard Grenell! Dispel the notion that Mr. Trump is against gays, for instance!
1
"It’s between the high road and the gutter" ... Seriously? John McCain dragged all of us into the gutter when he unleashed the brainless, loudmouth twit from Alaska upon the land. And Frank wonders whether she led directly to the buffoon we're currently saddled with? Yes, she did. McCain has received enough accolades and honors. He owes us an apology.
It's easy to make anyone look good and noble when compared to Trump. Though it doesn't make it real.
This lovely tribute to McCain, juxtaposed as it is to the current occupant of the White House, brings to mind a thought I've had often lately. Added to all the other firsts to come from this presidency, I truly believe there will never be a school, municipal building nor any roadway named for Donald Trump.
Another contrast to McCain, I feel sure.
2
McCain’s physical challenges marks a time for our culture to critically reflect on what should be consider normative in U.S. politics. This piece argues that we should be scandalized by current trends precipitated by the election of President Trump. I agree. But perhaps it is time to move beyond scandal to pity. Like a lost sheep without a shepherd, our nation will always be vulnerable, just to varying degrees. Our propensity in America is to wait for a political savior. This is a mistake. All leaders are flawed. We must learn how to accompany them while they are called to grow in wisdom through their interactions with the people. This is our only hope.
"Such grace is unimaginable from Trump. That’s why it’s so vital that McCain is using his waning time to model it."
Honor. Grace. Humility. Unimaginable strength in the midst of horror.
Above all, McCain the senator - and McCain the soldier - exemplify unselfishness. It's sadly rare in the paths of life he's walked - in service to our country, to see a man who does not put himself first and above others.
We are grateful for your service, Senator McCain.
3
As his time with us as a voice of political reason is coming to an end, McCain seems to be clearer in thought. Recognizing that this medical battle may not be winnable he is more willing to abandon party and speak truth and we could certainly use a good dose of that.
I agree with Frank that it is ironic that perhaps in some way, Palin was the harbinger of Trumpism. Perhaps John still has enough time and more important, energy and good days, to help others return to truth, justice, and yes the American way he fondly remembers. A dying man has no one to fear.
While the comparisons to Trump are accurate, you could place nearly any name, past or present in, in place of McCain when comparing Trump.
History will undoubtedly treat McCain well. He was his own candidate when he ran in the primaries against George W. but the Karl Rove machine taught John a valuable lesson, that you can’t become the GOP front runner by being a “Maverick”.
So during the two terms of “W” and Obama’s, McCain abandoned his maverick positions and got firmly behind the Bush White House and GOP machine.
Unfortunately until just the past week his silence & that of his other friends in the GOP has been deafening. But there is a valuable lesson here for others like McCain who are not starring at their final days. To be counted you have to count. To be courageous you have to show courage. To have honor you must first be honorable. Hopefully this Maverick can empower others who long to be true to seek truth.
11
During them 2008 convention I was sad to witness delegates who went nuts over Sarah Palin barely rouse themselves to clap for McCain.
4
"McCain has always believed, to his core, in sacrifice, honor and allegiance to something larger than oneself. "
Really? Palin.
Pandering at the lowest possible level. He positioned a moron to be one 72 year old mans heart attack away from becoming the President. Where was the honor in that decision?
All of the good will McCain had earned was wiped away in one idiotic move.
4
Palin. It's really hard to see beyond that. McCain is the best of the worst. He stuck with the party way too long. The signs were all over the place that they, the GOP, were courting the racist, bigoted, ignorant, dishonest, sexist, and classist types. Yet McCain stuck with them. His loyalty was his flaw. Loyalty is only honorable if it is judiciously given. His downfall was inevitable.
7
Hey, Frank:
I'm curious: can "an Arab" and "decent family man" be put in the same sentence? Everyone seems to give McCain - whom I admire - a mulligan on this one.
Oh, and being Jewish, I'm pretty familiar with such half-baked compliments.
6
This is sickening, last week everyone was glorifying Barbara Bush because she hugged a aid's child while her husband's administration ignored the aids crisis, now it's time to ignore that McCain gave us Sarah Palin and votes a straight party ticket.
4
I wish columnists would just say "I got an advance copy of the book and here's what I think." The long wind up for is essentially a teaser trailer with some background is infuriating. I can't believe writers get paid for this stuff. No offense to Sen. McCain of course. Just as a matter of publishing, in-content advertising is tacky. Stop doing it.
There's nothing like a best selling book to win name recognition for politicians, and their backers can fund their campaigns by buying the book in bulk and giving it away.
Trump wouldn’t even qualify to take McCains trash out. Everyone has flaws, even McCain, but Trumps are fatal.
5
It is a-shame that he or anyone should die of brain cancer. He is part of the machine that perpetuates so many policies, lies and cowardice that create and stoke the cancer epidemic in this Country. In the name of money such curable of a disease continues to epidemic proportions. Preventable and curable but bad for business. McCain really needs to look in the mirror and to his past actions (votes) which helped create and propel this health assault to which karmically he has now become subject. History; rinse and repeat; exactly what happened before bubonic plague and income inequality saved none. Difficult to feel badly for a man that has done such irreparable harm to us all. VOTE! Resist!!
2
Truly bizarre that veterans voted for trump. And women...no self esteem.
9
The same man who chose Sarah Palin to be 2nd in line to the Presidency. Blah Blah Blah.....
2
George W Bush, the war-criminal statesman, knowingly leading his country into war costing hundreds of thousands of lives, including many American soldiers. Aren't they all statesmen?
1
Thank you, Mr. Bruni.
A line from Alexander Pope keeps ringing in my mind. His goal, the poet declares, is (among others) . . .
". .to rouse the watchman of the public weal."
Which is what YOU, do, Mr. Bruni. You and your colleagues at The New York Times.
Which is what Senator McCain is doing right now.
Which (in my loud, ineffectual way) I am trying to do.
And Mr. Bruni--what CAN we do but keep ringing the alarm bell? Sounding the tocsin. Being "the voice crying out in the wilderness." And--oh yes. ..
. .. what a WILDERNESS we are living in. A White House DESTITUTE of decency--of integrity--of ordinary prudence. And, sir--a Congress destitute of. . .
. . .GUTS!
Your piece, Mr. Bruni, was moving and enlightening. And may I use a slightly overworked word.
INSPIRING.
'Cause the Lord knows--America needs inspiration right now.
All the inspiration it can get!
Thanks again.
4
The whole idea of this "Lord" you write about is fundamentally feudal, not democratic.
Bravo to Bruni for this piece
Bravo Zulu, John, Bravo Zulu for your life.
1
Trump : a word to be forgotten
1
" Do your duty and leave the rest to the Gods ". Amen.
This is just a tautology to me. "Duty" is often a projection of some individual's own opinion onto an imaginary personage who purported judges and punishes people after they're dead.
Senator McCain has spent his political life working to make America dumber, less fair and more belligerent. His tombstone is already written ("here lies yet another rich frat boy"), too late now to be make Tippex corrections.
1
Awesome piece Frank Bruni.
3
I guess we forgot the Keating Five?
6
No.
McCain had his imperfections as Frank Bruni admits.
There is just no need for a litany of them.
U. S. Grant left his own history of getting conned out of his memoirs.
Question for John McCain: Where were you the day Vietnam attacked our shores?
Under his fathers and grandfathers cloak
I agree with you 100%. I hope it turns out that his voice helps bring this debacle to an end soon. Trump is a disgrace to what the USA.
Dear Senator McCain,
I remember your release and arrival home to America. My cousin served with you and was also a pilot. The whole nation held its breathe when you guys came home. Everything was different back then. Our heroes were good people who did brave things, not some musician jerk being called a flipping genius when he doesn't even know basic history. And most certainly not the mentally ill fascist Donal Trump....Thank you, sir, for your dedication to our country, for your service and sacrifice. God bless you, John McCain.
7
He missed his chance for redemption, he soon will be explaining to his maker why he abandoned his core beliefs .
He was never the same since Keating 5 .
1
John Mc Cain IS a true American hero despite what our aberration of a president said about him. I'd like to see Trump chained to a bed for more than a year as a POW. He'd last about 30 seconds, if that, the coward. I had the great pleasure of meeting Senator Mc Cain when I lived in DC. I saw him on a couple of occasions at his senate office and at a campaign fundraiser on his first run for president. He would have been an outstanding one. I feel blessed to have met him, his wonderful mother Roberta, his brother Joe and wife Cindy. God bless you, Senator Mc Cain, you are one heck of a fantastic man.
1
Trump, for me, you can throw in the garbage bin of history.
But McCain and his "heroism"?
Yes, he spent years in a hellhole, was tortured and maimed for life. Yes, all that he deserves regard for. Being decent in politics once in awhile is also rare.
But, come on Frank, McCain was an Air Force brat, son and grandson of Admirals, he got more than one free pass in his life. And he married a very rich woman which freed him to be in politics. He had a lot of life easy.
And he got shot down while doing bombing runs over Vietnam. Was that 'heroic'? The indiscriminate murder of civilians along with combatants? Those bombs ripped human beings to shreds while he was aloft thrilled by flying and battling. I don't call that heroic.
Don't give the man so much credit Frank. McCain also grew up at a time when it was routine in the armed services to disdain and torment gays around them and in public life. What about that Frank? Was he a hero then?
Maybe Trump just got a little tired of hearing that kind of jabber about a guy like McCain. Trump knows a ruthless politician when he sees one. Give him at least that.
1
"But, come on Frank, McCain was an Air Force brat, son and grandson of Admirals (sic) . . ."
There are no admirals in the Air Force; McCain's father and grandfather were Navy all the way.
"McCain also grew up at a time when it was routine in the armed services to disdain and torment gays around them and in public life. What about that?"
Your evidence that McCain engaged in homophobic activities?
As Robert Timberg notes in THE NIGHTINGALE'S SONG, McCain once came to the defense of a steward who was being berated by a first classman.
McCain did not tolerate bullying.
See Page 40 of THE NIGHTINGALE'S SONG for further information.
John McCain is a disgrace and has been for some time. What happened to the Straight Talk Express circa 2000? Since then he’s been a Republican lap dog, stripped of his so-called fighting spirit.
He is putting personal aggrandizement far above service to country. Gee, if you can’t go to Washington, D.C., should you really remain a Senator? Equally bad is his desire to have the Senate Seat that belongs to the people appropriated so it is now the McCain Senate seat. “Give” it to his wife, his daughter, his factotum. The USA resembles the Soviet Union, though perhaps they had more actual democracy in their elections.
Resign, John! Put country above self. To die in office will be the final disgrace.
3
Hero vs zero.
2
What a puff piece. This is someone that has folded at key moments throughout his political career. He's not a maverick, he's a photo op.
3
Senator John McCain is a class act!
2
CAROLE: Read my comment before deciding whether Senator was a class act!THOUSANDS of Vietnamese died or had their lives changed forever , victims of napalm and AGENT ORANGE dropped on them or in the vicinity by McCain and other Navy fliers.US veterans in high numbers, also present in VN when Agent Orange was dropped in payloads also have McCain to thank for their cancers and deteriorating health. Not 1 veteran imprisoned at HANOI HILTON came to Senator's defense when he was accused of being too friendly with his captors who called him "le prince!"Insulted his wife in public when it was her money that got him into politics in the first place. Remember KEATING FIVE!
Cry me a river, Mr. BRUNI! McCain may be a war hero to you but to innocent VIETNAMESE on the receiving end of his bombs filled with napalm, Agent Orange--remember when good folks were demonstrating against Dow Chemical, the manufacturer?-- Senator was not a hero than a war criminal. Think also of all of our vets also still suffering from payloads of Agent Orange, whose lives have been ruined! Recall also his pivotal role in KEATING BANK SCANDAL, biggest in our history, and his scurrilous remarks about his spouse, in public no less!When Pres. said he didn't like captured war heroes, was as if he had committed the unpardonnable sin, but Trump's criticism was "right on,"since fellow veterans, internees at Hanoi Hilton did not come to McCAIN's defense when accusation was made: McCain became too chummy with his captors, almost a trustie of the prison for N. Vietnamese.Just because someone appears to be dying, that does not elevate him to sainthood!Do ur research if you please, Mr. BRUNI, and try to see all sides of a question!
With McCain it's always personal. He never put the commonweal first.
McCain gave us Sarah Palin. He had no problem with placing a verified fool a heart beat away.....
Spare me the hero talk.
4
McCain also introduced us to Palin: the precursor of Trumpspeak.
4
Putting trump in the gutter is way above where he really is - the sewer that connects him with the cesspool he has created and the rats who he has been populating it with.
2
Oh Pubhleezzeee. John McCain supported Trump even after Trump said he was not a hero because he was captured. Bottomline is not wether he said nice things about Obama but what he has voted for throughout his career and most especially supporting far right leaning Supreme Court nominees.
McCain is just another gutless rat that has found some courage for his deathbed book.
Suckers one and all.
2
McCain's legacy in two words
Sarah Palin
' nough said
1
I am reading obituary after obituary of Sen. McCain in the New York Times. A real American hero is dying but not yet dead. Why is Sen. John McCain having to read his own obituary?
Please stop!
I pray McCain's treatment allows for his cancer to go into remission and he returns to Congress.
2
Let us thank God for Mr. McCain! And let us thank God for a free Press!
The uninformed ,the malicious , and dividers now leading the government and the SCOTUS , will be remembered in history as such, but, the few that stand for truth and decency will be the stars of this period in history.
1
Physical torture in Vietnam to emotional torture in Trump's Washington DC.
Also he must realize that his Republican Party has become a detestable entity doing to the country what the glioblastoma is doing to his brain.
2
McCain has his likeable qualities, but he should dispense with the thin veneer that he gives a damn about the country after voting for the disasterous tax reform bill. Sorry, but good riddance
5
Bad title. "Dying breaths" is inappropriate. Coming from a life-long liberal.
What a smarmy piece of work, Mr Bruni. De morituris nil nisi bonum? Wait till McCain is dead, please, before you put him beyond criticism. He has supported Trump with vote after vote after vote, and he is stained beyond redemption.
1
Frank thank you how can we get rid of this piece of waste in the WH I am an American US ARMY guy residing in Canada retired
3
Does anyone remember the Vietnam War? John McCain was dropping bombs on Hanoi and was shot down....I will leave it to wiser people to determine whether the war against Vietnamese independence was worthwhile. But really: keep the picture in view...He was a lousy cadet. He was a poseur as a "maverick". And he appointed Sarah Palin as his VP...I'm sorry he has cancer...Can we stop with the hero machine in this country?
4
There's a clear astronomical comparison between John McCain and D. John Trump. John McCain's light may be dimming and it most probably will soon go out, but it is from a sun which served his country's citizens (?planets) well.
Mr. Trump is a black hole, hoovering up everything within his gravitational reach, even light.
The galaxies may be full of stars and black holes but the black holes are largely invisible because they are, well, black. It is only when they encroach closely enough to affect the stuff around them that we can see them for what they are.
Sadly for us, the black hole of Donald Trump has popped into our orbit. Hold on to your atoms as best you c..a...n.........
“I might as well be blunt.” Mr. Bruno, your conceit that you and your fellow NY Times columnists have been anything but blunt in your cliched “good versus evil” world view would be amusing if it weren’t so tiresome. The nation’s institutions are strong, the economy is rolling and you lost an election. Perhaps you’ll win the next one.
I find it stunning that Bruni repeats McCain's "defense" of Obama at the rally where he is called an Arab as evidence of his humanity. It is hard not to make the assumption that "Arab" in McCain's mind is at least subliminally the opposite of "decent family man." Appalling, racist, and sad.
1
Where are the GOP patriots in Congress now? Largely silent on the clueless, corrupt administration of Donald Trump. And Dante has a special circle in hell for those members of Congress (Nunes, Jordan, Meadows, et. al.) who embrace and seek to protect Trump. And those who are largely silent (McConnell, Ryan, et. al.) will not be remembered well when the history books are written on this failed presidency. Bravo McCain.
1
Thank you Frank Bruni. I've enjoyed many of your columns but this one gave me hope during a time I really need it. :-) Well done. Ken
I don’t consider JM as a particularly brilliant man, I think he made many shifts just to belong to a party that was becoming increasingly crazy. But I would guess there was only so much he could do as a not so brilliant man. He must be commended however for answering the call to duty for his entire life.
2
I believe Sen. McCain is an honorable person, and believe that when articles of impeachment are before us, Sen. McCain, if he is alive and well enough, will cast his vote against the stain on democracy that Trump represents. The question is how many other Republican Senators will join him? How many will put country over party and do the honorable thing? Sadly, I fear, the answer is not enough.
7
"Such grace is unimaginable from Trump."
Yes, oh yes. This line so clearly sums up Trump, on so many levels. So far, our democracy has been able to hold him at bay, and I want to believe America will prevail. But it will never be the same. And that is the tragedy of Trump.
1
Thank you for this column, Mr. Bruni.
Although I'm a liberal and disagree with the way Mr. McCain has voted most of the time, he represents the better side of American politics, when people could agree to disagree but still work together and respect each other, and, even be friends across the aisle.
That, I think, will be his most lasting and important legacy.
BTW, there's a Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco, Miss Saigon. It's one of my favorite spots, a hole in the wall with excellent food, although it's located in one of the worst areas of the city (6th & Mission). It's an area you don't walk around in alone if you can help it. I've been eating there almost since it opened.
When Mr. McCain's son got married in San Francisco (about four years ago), they both visited Miss Saigon and photos with them and Miss Saigon's staff are proudly displayed on the restaurant's wall to this day.
Pretty sweet. I'm sure he made their day and then some.
3
The night Senator John McCain gave the thumbs down to Comrade Trump's cruel "healthcare bill" is an indelible memory. I leapt from my seat & cheered our GREAT HERO. I was betting on you, Senator McCain. I understood that you understand the sufferings of those who are ill and dying. Obamacare saved my life, and I knew you would never compromise the health and life of your fellow Americans. I am a lifelong Democrat, and I was counting on you, Senator McCain. You delivered.
I won my bet that night, and you won my heart.
4
John McCain has been one of the foremost leaders of the Republican Party for over 20 years. His leadership helped usher in Fox News, Sarah Palin, and Donald Trump. I would say that is an accomplishment for a great hero.
1
I have read/heard McCain call out Trump. But his comments were lost in the noise Trump creates. Which seems to be Trump's intention - create so much noise that everyone gets flummoxed to the point of numbness and bewilderment.
But, why has McCain not called out his fellow Republicans in Congress by name, the Republican propaganda machine (Fox) and the Republican electorate? Trump would have been eliminated in the Republican debates except for Republicans who supported him and put party over country.
The Republican Party has no integrity. They have become the Trump Party of vulgarity and dishonesty. And McCain should be concerned that he has done too little to, done too much to help the entire Republican Party go down the path to perdition.
4
While I will never forgive McCain for Palin, "normalizing" the policies and positions and prostrations of the alt-right -and definitely leading to the election of Trump - there are things I will forever admire him for:
- His refusal to be released from the Hanoi Hilton where he was held so as to not leave his men behind and become a tool of the North Vietnamese - what an excruciating and heroic real life decision that was
- His historic "thumb down" on legislation that he was under terrible pressure to vote for, but that he felt was bad for this country
- And the speech he gave to the Senate - and the world - after his surgery that seemed to make the earth under our feet firm again after all the quakes we had felt as a nation
John McCain is a once in a lifetime man - we will not soon see his ilk again, and he will be sorely missed in the heart and soul of our country.
3
"The best lack all conviction and the worst are filled with passionate intensity." Yeats, "The Second Coming."
McCain is the exception that proves the rule. While I disagree with a lot of his politics too, no sane, honest person can call him anything but a patriot and a hero.
3
Frank Bruni: Good article, and I agree with it. However, McCain's injuries as POW in VietNam were far worse than merely a broken arm and cracked ribs...
"McCain, a Navy pilot, had an arm broken and ribs cracked during the torture that he endured while imprisoned by the North Vietnamese."
See: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/john-mccain-pow/story?id=32574863
From the ABC article:
"Though he made a recovery, many of McCain's injuries have remained with him -– the combination of a hazardous ejection from his jet, torture and inadequate medical treatment have left him incapable of raising either arm above his shoulders."
It is a testament to McCain's integrity and character that despite the debilitating throes of cancer he has managed to write a book wherein a warning bell peals, sounding the alarm that under Trump the United States has charted a very dangerous course, with perilous consequences not only for its citizenry but for all democratic nations. According to the polls this thug administration continues to bask in the adulation of a 30% base unimpressed by the truth, not McCain's intended target audience. Will he, however, finally reach the great majority of the spineless, complicit GOP who to this day have remained mum, or worse, continue to embrace Trump's mendacity?
When McCain's "Straight Talk Express" campaign came to Alexandria, Virginia in 2000, I sidled in with the press photographers and got on the right side of the velvet rope to get some good pictures. I was beside the NY Times photographer, and pointing at one grouping, we snapped shutters at the same moment. The next day I found my shot identical to the one on the NY Times front page.
I had attended to hear McCain speak, of course, and I left the rally with a bumper sticker that became the only bumper sticker, of any stripe, I ever put on a vehicle. I had no intention to vote Republican at all, but he was their best candidate, and if Al Gore was destined to lose, McCain was the nation's best man for a Republican Presidency.
Years later I met Senator McCain at CBS's Face the Nation studio in DC, when I was there to rehearse some music with Bob Schieffer. I still respected him.
More recently I was outside the Capitol in DC at midnight when McCain gave his famous thumbs-down vote on Mitch McConnell's folly-filled "skinny repeal" of the Affordable Care Act. I got an excellent photo of the crowd's reaction when word came through of McCain's fully decisive "no"
Each of these occasions gave me the feeling that I was near the presence of an historical figure well worth the notice of time. Thank you for your service to America, Senator McCain.
I am conflicted when it comes to Senator McCain. As a life long Democrat I never voted for him; but respected him for his valor and heroism and clear genuine love for our country. At the same time, there is a direct line from his choice of Sarah Palin to the success of Donald Trump. Although Senator McCain has been a voice of reason and honor in the age of Trump, his voice never had the depth of resonance of the famous, "have you no shame" comment in the Joe McCarthy era. However, when balanced against political realties , his failing health, and the Senator's honest admission about the mistake of selecting Palin we are reminded why we miss him in Washington. Senator McCain will be remembered as a flawed (as all of us are) human who did his very best to serve the country he loved and spoke out in ways that were sometime counter intuitive and even counter productive but always from his heart and his brain. He will be honored as a patriot-hero who endured harsh punishment as a captive when he could have come home as the son of an Admiral. He will be remembered for his decency and ultimately as one of the voices in the wilderness in his party who spoke the truth to a president who attempted to became a despot . At the end of the day; John McCain will be recalled a protector of the country which he loved who did his very best, particularly in his later years in the Senate. Thank you for your service Senator. God Bless you and keep you. Joe Biden is not your only friend.
2
Thank you, Mr. Bruni. All the more reason to hope that Trump gets "captured" by Mueller. Though of course the Orange Ogre long has been the captive of his own ignorant, narcissistic, brutal, shameless lying self. If he is allowed to speak at what we hope is the far-off funeral of John McCain, we can be sure he'll laud himself mightily, and insist that the size of the audience reflects his greatness, not the well-earned gratitude and admiration for Senator/Veteran/Hero McCain.
Mr. Bruni: Above and beyond the call. You are a good and graceful man, generous in your comments and replies. "You may feel that way, but I respectfully disagree." Somewhere we lost track of that assertion. I will read you forever.
2
Balderdash! I'll believe McCain means it when he puts his reputation and prestige on the line and calls for Trump's impeachment. That would be a good first step.
What an embarrassing legacy for McCain, in his final moments to engage in such pettiness. There is good reason that a graceful exit is preferable to any other. Because the grace you extend to others will be precisely how much you are remembered with.
Calling for the preservation of democracy is "petty?"
McCain doesn't need to worry about how he is remembered. He is beloved and admired by Republicans and Democrats. Perhaps you should read about him.
McCain's voting record in the Senate appears honorable only when compared to the evil, self-serving and outrageously infuriating behavior we're witnessing now by Republicans. The bar has been set so low for the current Senate majority that it rests at the earth's core. I wish John McCain peace as his life draws to its end, but the damage his votes have cost Americans cannot be erased.
6
Pushed back how? I’m still waiting to hear how John McCain has done anything of any substance to undo the chaos he helped create a decade ago in his own party.
7
This is out of context but I want to say it now, lest I forget.
Michelle Obama said once, “When they go low, we go high.”
That is the way forward for Democrats I believe. Do not run against Trump, run FOR America. Take the high road; jobs, wages, health care, reasonable gun control. Leave the gutter for Trump et al.
5
John McCain has been an occasional adherent to lofty principles. Just as often he's descended, though no where near to the level Trump occupies full time.
McCain's problem is that he is a Republican and that party has given up on democracy and good government. McCain has often, if not always, gone along.
In 2008, McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate; an act that degraded his candidacy and set a new low standard for vice presidential candidates (of the two major parties). Palin was an embarrassment, but with a rabid following among many Republicans she helped normalize the idea that being qualified to be president or vice president is no longer an actual qualification. Enter Trump.
Like so many of his fellow Republicans, McCain shares in the responsibility for creating a situation wherein Donald Trump could win a major party nomination.
I am sorry for McCain's current health problems. Brain cancer is an ugly disease (like so many) and I wish him well. But I'm never going to forget that McCain's hands are not clean and he has played a role in allowing the GOP to become what it is today -- a plague that values only power and winning elections.
2
I sat with my 25 year old daughter during the presidential election. When we learned that Trump won we were absolutely shocked, she began to cry and I followed. She asked ,'mom how ? why ? what just happened?" I had no answer, I really still don't.
I will never forget Senator Johns McCain's Senate floor speech he gave on July 25th, 2017, less than a week after undergoing surgery for brain cancer; "Let's return to Regular Order."
I printed a copy and gave it to my daughter. I said these words are what our Democracy is about, this how it's supposed to work. These words were spoken by a man who is a Champion of moral leadership. Senator McCain's words and actions affirmed his commitment to the Preamble of our U.S. Constitution; a Government of All People, By All people, For all people. This is my daughter is a true Patriot.
It is all too evident and history will reflect that yours is not "a small place for myself in the story of America.” Senate McCain, our democracy is a 230 year old experiment and your life long service to our nation embodies the fundamental laws and principles by which our country is governed. I, we thank you.
During McCain's campaign for POTUS against Obama, when one of his supporters tried to denigrate Obama, McCain said, "He is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared about as President of the United States." McCain then went on to say, Obama is "a decent, family man."
Those words can be said about McCain as well, but not about the current POTUS.
There's nothing decent about Trump and we all have to be scared about him being POTUS, as he has no clue about what he says or what he does.
1
History will not be as gentle with John McCain as Bruni. McCain was a hero when he was down and fought his way back from his Vietnam shackles. McCain's place in our political history since has been decided and will not be re-written with death bed prose. His legacy likely will not be on the top of the heap, except in the minds of last gasp conservative Americans. And even now those who once held him in high regard have begun to regard him as a failed Conservative Republican because today - Trump Republicans don't like POWs. Oh the ironies.
2
There is more than a little daylight between John McCain and me politically. But we happened to end up next to each other while traveling during the 96 election cycle. He struck up a conversation and we chatted and had a few laughs about our jobs, kids, education and such. A genuinely nice guy, not a word about politics, no pretense, no bluster. It’s encouraging to see him stand up to a know-nothing bully like Trump. Trump’ proximal mistake (among the legions of others) is to imagine thst he could intimidate someone who served in wartime, spent years in captivity and endured torture and then spent years working in a bipartisan manner for ghd country. Trump continuously overestimates himself and underestimates everyone else. It will haunt him the rest of his days, and is stark contrast to someone like McCain.
1
Senator Mc Cain 's affiliation to the GOP is somewhat close to a John Ford's when you consider the movies: depth and real sense of human complexity and drama, undoubtable courage in life ( his opposition to Trump , Ford's standing up against De Mille during Mac Carthysm)...and very probably as many inner contradictions ( fascination and respect for the military, uncomfortably paralelling awareness of the flaws going with the cult of heroes).
1
Let's not lionize McCain who voted fo kleptocratic tax cuts just recently.
3
While I do not agree with the man’s politics, I harbor no doubt that John McCain is a patriot, unlike the current occupant of the Oval Office.
I'm calling for a truce on these kinds of articles until Insoector General Horowitz's reports are released. And then, let's talk about the good and the bad of both men, not the bad of one and good of the other.
God Bless John McCain in the performance of one last act of patriotism. God forgive Republicans like Ryan and McConnell who have sacrificed their integrity in the service of evil, and may the scales drop from their eyes.
Senator John McCain is a true American hero I believe. At 58 I've seen enough to safely say that this man gave his life for his country no less than that.
On Trump's gratuitous insult about McCain war heroism, "It's nothing?" No, it's not nothing. It is very much something. It is about the relative value that Americans place on the leadership qualities of their political representatives.
We had a choice between the self-sacrifice of a genuine war hero who practically and single-handedly defined the meaning of the word "patriot" and the self-serving braggadocio of a charlatan whose the depth of political integrity rests in his capacity to tell lies, turn public service into a feeding trough, and hurl personal insults with reckless abandon.
We had the choice between a man who, despite his flaws, perpetually tackles issues bigger than himself and another man who falsely sees himself as the embodiment of all that is big and powerful.
We chose the smallest of the small and the vilest of the vile. We chose the charlatan. I know that these two men were not directly locked in hand-to-hand political combat, but in a metaphorical sense they were and they still are.
When candidate Trump made the absurd and offensive comments regarding John McCain's status as a war hero, he forfeited the right to be respected as a human being.
Forget politics for a moment. I'm talking about basic, civilized human decency. Trump has no clue what that is.
Most Republicans see McCain as an American icon in terms of his service to his country, but less so as a senator. He seemed to delight in scuttling his fellow GOP senator's plans and then was oblivious as to why he could not garner more support for his own proposals. He relished the love he got in the liberal media for attacking fellow republicans more than he seemed to care about moving a GOP agenda forward. And as for Trump, his disdain for the man seems to have colored his view towards all proposals - his thumbs down on the Obamacare vote was a spiteful act towards Trump and will be remembered by most GOP voters as a betrayal to what they fought for for over 7 years.
1
Hallelujah! Trump will not be at McCain's funeral at the Washington National Cathedral! I'm sure the service will be one of spiritual worship, compassion, and humble remembrances. This would not be the case if Trump was attending.
1
It’s stunning the parallels between these two and that of Coke Stevenson and Lyndon Johnson during the ‘48 Senate Campaign. The old guard vs. the new. The real deal vs the sham. I get so tired of hearing how history repeats itself but then to witness it firsthand is so incredibly demoralizing!
1
While I do not agree with much of the traditional GOP agenda, McCain is an example of a statesmen and some you can get behind. He speaks with a moral authority and a proven track record of great service to this country.
The counter narrative to shameful ‘gutter sideshow’ of the current White House resident who does deserve the title of president.
One would hope that great experiment in democracy that is the USA will begin to remove the stain starting in the mid term elections and begin the ‘reformation’ of our politics. There is no place in this great nations for the thieves and rogues gallery of miscreants in DC other than prison.
Open invitation extended to anyone who wants to characterize John McCain's story and values as 'fake news'. c'mon. we need to hear that his prison guards were 'crisis actors.'
game on? didn't think so.
I cried the night Trump was elected. But....I hoped that maybe Trump would calm down once he was in office. (Maybe all that vile rhetoric and cruelty was all for the campaign.) Trump has turned out to be much worse than I even imagined that night. But, what is even more heartbreaking is his poll numbers. In my view we have an evil man living in the WH; yet, at least 40% of my fellow Americans approve.
I wonder how a man like McCain or Bush or any of them can get elected in the future. I am expecting that those who succeed Trump may even be worse.
I have often disagreed with Sen McCain in policy. At no time ever have I thought him not to be a total patriot a man who faithfully served his conscience and his country. What Trump has said about the Senator is disgusting. What Trump has done to our country is criminal. I’m just waiting for the indictments.
Personal note: my daughter has a pre-existing condition that before the ACA made her uninsurable once she achieved he’d majority. During the 2008 campaign when there was a LOT of discussion about healthcare one peerless citizen at a McCain rally yelled out about such persons ‘Let them die!’. The Senator turned sharply, horrified, and chastised him, ‘No, oh no’ he said. Not every condition kills you, they may just bake your entire family penniless. The Senator understood this. Thank you Senator.
Trump's campaign slander about John McCain not being a war hero, "because he was captured", has to historically rank as one of the lowest of the lowly comments ever uttered by any American presidential candidate. At the time it was stated, many influential Republicans simply sat on their hands, failing to robustly and loudly condemn Trump for his completely unacceptable remarks.
In hindsight, this glaring failure to act was a foreshadowing of that same cowardly and compromised incapacity on the part of Republicans to speak truth to power after Trump won the nomination, and then ascended to the Presidency. This party surrender to the amoral, lying, and personally despicable Trump tragically continues to this day.
McCain will leave a broadly definable and positive legacy but not so for the unravelling DJT.
Trump will view McCain's ultimate passing as a victory. Losing one's life is still losing in his eyes.
The contrast between McCain and Trump is just astonishing. Both were born into privileged circumstances, Trump's of great wealth and local power, McCain's of position and prerogative. Yet the way they have lived their lives is a stark contrast between petty selfishness and noble sacrifice. Can anyone imagine Donald Trump, being held in captivity and tortured, then offered early release because of who his father was, refusing that chance? Can anyone imagine Donald Trump serving any cause but himself?
A person doesn't have to be perfect in every act to be a fine example overall.
Yet there is something about Trump that can serve this nation that he can't prevent. Trump's message is racist, xenophobic, and resentful. That's what animates his rallies. But tens of millions of Americans who voted for him wouldn't go to one of his rallies if it were free and Trump sent a car for them. The part that appeals to that portion of Trump voters, the parts that McCain and Graham voted for, is the key to the next election.
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"....Obama was “an Arab,” McCain told her that she was wrong. “He’s a decent family man,” he added."
Isn't it a sad commentary on our current ethical and moral state that the above statement, while indeed commendable in its own way, does by implication, insinuates that an "Arab" could not be a decent family man?
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Yes, but remember that the insinuation came from the questioner. McCain's remark was totally exemplary.
My mother taught me to never speak ill of the dead or dying, so I won’t say anything.
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Unfortunately for John McCain, when you are in a position of real power to act, just verbally critiquing someone who is continually damaging the foundations of our democracy does not give you moral high ground. It does just the opposite. It makes you a co-conspirator in his evil deeds. Real patriots are sorry to see that John McCain, who has served his country valiantly for his entire career, is now leaving the public stage with a few minor verbal swipes at a tyrant.
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John McCain, Lindsay Graham, and the few others that seem to have some conscience in the GOP led senate could have poured some water on the dumpster fire of the Trump presidency and McConnell coup in the Supreme Court by caucusing with the Democrats.
But no. Don't be fooled. It is party before country for all of them.
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I am sorry I don't agree with this opinion columnist and I am appalled that this columnist seems to feel the urge to get defensive by censoring opposing views and responding to comments that disagree with s piece. Open your eyes and your minds and look back at what happened in the middle east following 911 until the 2 terms each of the Bush and Obama. McCain was not the president or a cabinet secretary but without his thumbs up for the Iraq war, the Afghanistan war , the regime change wars in Syria and Libya would not have happened. To me the legacy of McCain in this century is that of an advocate for useless devastated wars that resulted in at least a million deaths of innocent men and women from predominantly Muslim countries. At least 5 million rendered homeless because their homes were bombed out. How can I in good conscience praise a long time senator whose legacy will be the misery he caused and the deaths that resulted from his actions.
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Right on the money, Girish
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I don't agree with John McCain's politics but I have tremendous respect for him as a human being. He is one of the few Republicans to put country before party and push back against the man in the White House who is dragging America into the mud. When McCain is gone, it will be a real loss for America, especially in these darkening times.
I donr know where this gooey need to valorize the people who've been degrading our national life for decades comes from. But I wish it would stop. McCain has supported virtually every Trump nominee and piece of legislation. He's fully complicit in the destruction of our environment, the ripping apart of immigrant families, and the tax giveaway that enriched only the wealthy, killed the individual mandate that makes health insurance affordable, and added $1.5 trillion to the deficit. As "resistance" to Trump he's good for pious posturing and little else. George W. Bush was bar none the worst and most destructive president in US history, forestalling climate action until it was too late, lying us into war and crashing the economy. We should celebrate the disappearance of both of these corrosive and inadequate plliticians, who history will judge much more harshly that these color-by-numbers tributes.
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I voted for John McCain for President because I believed experience matters. He should be the perfect foil to this god awful President as a Senator of note but he has chosen not to really take a stand for his Party or America against him. To me it does seem that decent Republicans don’t know how to handle the barrage that Trump unleashes on his enemies. They seem unable to handle the spot light he focuses on them and they wither on the vine or skulk back to their office and quiet down. They too seem to be hoping Mueller will take care of this for them. We need folks like Senator McCain to become more vocal in their opposition to Trump, without worry of loss of position. Then they will surely be seen as putting the country first. It takes a good strong person to stand in front of a tank when Democracy is truly on the line.
John McCain is speaking up now. I will give him that and he has more honor than most current Republicans who seem intimidated by Trump. I just wish he had been more willing to call Trump out on his immigration policies.
Remember that John McCain pushed George W. Bush for a guest worker program back in the 2000s to ensure that farmers had a ready supply of laborers. The backlash was swift and he abandonef his caus. Republicans do not want "aliens" in tjis coubtry even if they are harvesting our crops.
Still all in all McCain is one of the old time Republicans who has friends across the aisle. He is figjting Trump to the end and this may be his most patriotic effort yet..
For this reader McCain's greatest moment in public life was when he turned that dramatic thumbs down on destroying Obamacare - on 'ripping out root and branch' in the memorable words of Leader McConnell. That was McCain putting his whole body and soul where his mouth was, and, by many, it will never, ever be forgotten.
"Grace" is an adjective that will never be used with Trump. And while he may be rich, he will never have class. In fact, by virtually every other measure besides money, Trump is a very poor man. He is poverty-stricken when it comes to honesty. He is a pauper when it comes to loyalty to staff, wives and close personal friends. He fails to comprehend that respect is earned and cannot be bought or commanded. This list could continue beyond the space allocated here but Trump is a destitute when his measure of humility is taken.
And, unlike Trump, McCain will be richly honored for his achievements in life while Trump will be forever stymied as to why money couldn't buy him love.
I'm a Democrat, and never voted for Senator McCain, but I admire him enormously, and remember watching him on TV as he was released from prison camp.
Here are a few things I know about him, which have always impressed me. Senator McCain's long thoracic nerve was compressed by hours of torture involving his arms being cuffed behind him and then yanked up. This leads to a condition called "winged scapula" and meant that he could not lift his arms above his shoulders, and could not brush his own hair. I always watched the enormous love and tenderness Mrs. McCain showed as she brushed his hair.
His grades at Annapolis were hardly stellar, and he was kind of a brat, but there was and is no doubt that he was deeply thoughtful and highly intelligent. People criticize his hawkishness, but he is the officer son and grandson of admirals. What would he be other than a hawk? People think they're such independent thinkers, but we are molded by our families first.
His sons serve their country. While the politicos are sending other people's children to fight and possibly die in faraway places, he sent his along with ours.
I'm sure none of this seems like much of a portrait of a man's life, but they've defined him for me. If he'd won the presidency, we'd have been fine.
Now I'm not sure we will be fine ever again, and I'm glad that he won't have to watch. He's done what he could and here we still are.
Shame on us.
I disagree with most of Senator McCain's politics, but I appreciate his grace, intelligence and the fact that he sees what most rational people do even if he draws different conclusions than some of us do,
On the other hand, I find no compassion, forgiveness or even pity for the current occupier of the White House. I appreciate Sen. McCain calling Trump out, but I agree that he was too little, too late, and that his regrettable plucking of Sarah Palin from obscurity ignited the fuse that exploded in Trump. At least Sen. McCain is continues to fight the good fight now, for which I commend him. May he live to see Trump and the Trumpist house of card collapse - and may it happen soon.
Mr Bruni,
I don't agree with a lot of the praise you offer to John McCain but I give you profuse thanks for reading and responding to the comments on your column. I sure that many if not all of us who read this paper regularly and add our two cents worth in the comments wonder how many of the columnists pay attention to and care about what their readers think!
Can't imagine there being an after that John McCain would recognize after the "success" of Trump. The world accustom to the neediness of one single ego is just unimaginably vacant of meaning. I'm sorry this mess comes at the end of McCain's time with us but his resistance encourages all of us to be sure what follows after Trump in no way resembles the wasteland Trump would wish we could accept.
In almost every man or woman throughput history, let's say American hi, in studying leaders governmental, military or other, we can find some cracks All are imperfect and have flaws in personality, integrity, etc. Even our closest of friends who mean a great deal to, if we look close enough we will find the less than perfect qualities. But when we are studying a leaders qualities we are taking the measure of the person When we do this we need auae, compass to assist us in tat effort. It shouldn't just be will they get this issue done as I want. It should be more about who they truly are. What is their records? What standards, integrity, character have they shown in their life? With John McCain, there was a clear picture of the man. There was also a clear picture of DJT in 2016. It wasn't covered enough. And mostly people were mesmerized by him and paid no attention to the negatives pointed out sadly. I'm sad America is losing J.McCain in this troubled time. A man of true character!
Yes, in the race to the bottom McCain appears principled. It's all relative.
I find few U.S. politicians, including McCain, fit to clean the boots of ex-GOP Senator Chuck Hagel, a Vietnam war hero who consistently opposed extremists in his own party as well as being forced by Obama to resign as Secretary of Defence for having (correctly) contradicted the President's dismissal of ISIS as "a JV team".
If you had even 10 senators of Hagel's character and integrity, then the U.S. and the world would benefit immensely. McCain falls short in so many ways.
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In 2017 John McCain, in voting against a repeal of the ACA, said that there was a need to "trust each other" to work with those "across the aisle." "I will not vote for the bill...We've tried to do this by coming up with a proposal behind closed doors in consultation with the administration, then springing it on skeptical members...Let the Committee(s)…hold hearings, try to report a bill out of committee with contributions from both sides. Then bring it to the floor for amendment and debate, and see if we can pass something that will be imperfect, full of compromises...but that might provide workable solutions to problems Americans are struggling with today.” McCain invalidated every word of it in voting for the Republican Tax Bill, fashioned by Republicans alone, like rats in the dead of night, "behind closed doors," no "hearings held," no "compromises," and no regard for "problems Americans are struggling with today." Americans, their children, and grandchildren will pay for this payout to billionaire Republican donors their entire lives. It will consume everything, including Social Security and Medicare. I cannot celebrate a man who says great words yet is a total sellout. It's sad that McCain is ill, but he and his family want for nothing materially. His vote means members of my family, as well as millions of women over 65, will likely not survive. 50% of women over 65 are fully dependent on Social Security and Medicare. McCain, for all his talk, has betrayed all of them.
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I'm with the "too much, too little. too late..." crowd on this one. While I agree that McCain has spoken out, it seems that was more for his legacy, as opposed to trying to change the course of events. A man of his stature could have made a real difference.
The Republican Party now has the rabid base of know-nothings that it has cultivated for the last 30 years with its racist, dog-whistle politics. The Republicans realised long ago that they can't win national elections if they can't mobilise their racist/antigay/anti-abortion base. McCain was part and parcel of that strategy.
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It's interesting that neither Barbara Bush nor John McCain wanted Trump at their funerals. Even though I've often been disappointed in McCain's politics, there is no doubt he is an American hero. Our country has been put into the gutter by the filthy man that occupies the White House. Bringing Sarah Palin to prominence did help elect Trump but if her admirers weren't out there it wouldn't have mattered.
They represent the Republican "establishment" that holds Trump in utter contempt.
There's an old adage about giving flowers before one dies. Mr. McCain had many opportunities to demonstrate his opposition to Donald Trump- when-it-counted. Instead he blew proverbial smoke:
Using the Senate floor to hold the nation in awe with his passionate discourse then voted in the affirmative to begin debate to Repeal Obamacare.
Sadly, whatever John McCain says now- is nothing more than a too-late attempt to hone his legacy.
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beautiful, may your words and most certainly McCains not fall on deaf ears, Brett's too . . . voices, beautifully spoken, we all need to hear in our time of need - woah.
I feel no need to criticize Trump with vigilance. I took the measure of the man early on and I concluded that he would either be very dangerous or a buffoon. More and more, I see him as a buffoon and I see the source of danger elsewhere. I dismiss the man as I would any fool. I concentrate, instead, on what is done in his name.
Terrible things have happened since Trump was elected. But Trump is ineffectual and is not the real problem. First and foremost, I worry about all those white middle class voters who feel abandoned by the Democrats. They are not to be dismissed. Far too many Democrats have it backwards. They obsess over Trump and dismiss his supporters.
Politicians like McCain have to take the right wing agenda seriously, not because of Trump but because of Trump voters. Every six years, McCain comes home to Arizona and pretends to be ultra-conservative. If he doesn't do that, he doesn't get elected. That is one indication that the political agenda of the Republican Party is bottom up, not top down.
I don't need to read about another Trump lie. That's "there he goes again" material. And, as for McCain, a lot of what he says reflects what is politically necessary. I keep my eyes on the people who think DC is a swamp and think things are better now that Obama is gone. And I do not think of them as deluded. I think Democrats are out of touch with their interests and needs. And following that is where my attention and vigilance goes.
Thank you for this. I think I’l pray for extra for him today.
Let's not forget that McCain let the tea party genie out of the bottle with his selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. Trump is merely the full manifestation of that genie.
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I don't understand the "statesman" reputation. John McCain likes to use fancy talk to suggest he is above the riff raff that makes up Congress. But when it comes to his acts, he is as bad as any of them. His words are "statesmanlike" but his voting is pure republican. The former sells books and wins him an unearned reputation; the latter is what actually affects the rest of us.
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I wrote Senator McCain in the run op to the election. I told him I could never match his heroism, that he put self before country in choosing Sarah Palin, and he—with his unique standing—should directly oppose Trump, even though his own election was on the line. When it counted and his own election were on the line, he never repudiated Trump. I got a form letter back.
The John McCain who pushed hard for campaign finance reform was good for our country. The McCain pushing for another recalibration of our immigration laws - not just the punitive side the GOP focused on recently - also good for our country. The McCain trying often with Lieberman for a national approach to reining in greenhouse emissions - a true worker for the good of the nation. But those attempts failed.
After 2008, it seems he mostly settled into the warped orthodoxy of the party - grousing a bit, but dropping the push that he used to have. So Frank, McCain is a good man. But GOP orthodoxy slammed the door on a lot of the bipartisanship that existed before the 2008 elections and before the Tea Party - and McCain gave in, or was overruled, or whatever. He crankily repudiated his maverick label and other than spending some effort calling Trump names, maybe retirement would have been better for the USA.
PS - Regarding "gorgeous meditation" of our first Bush President vs. Trump? Please remember that Stephens is a conservative columnist for the Times basically because he really doesn't like Trump. I read the -meditation- and it's basically "Bush 1 isn't Donald Trump". Not sure what made you think it was gorgeous - but it seems the Times is sliding towards false nostalgia for failed GOP leaders just because they're not Donald.
What's McCain DONE since 2008? The maverick left the building - painful to say, because I considered him for a while in 2008.
“He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.”
When candidate Trump first uttered those words in the summer of 2015, the 16 other spineless Republican candidates should have challenged him, disgraced him and thrown him off the debate stage.Their silence made them complicit in Trump's rise to power and they continue to be complicit as he slowly destroys so many values of our cherished democracy.
This national nightmare we are living would never have taken root had those cowards confronted the bully on that debate stage and defended the honor of their colleague.
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John McCain has been a honorable statesmen and great leader while in uniform. His civility in DC is a breadth of fresh air ... but in all honestly, he was not a good candidate for president and his war with Trump has tarnished the final chapters of his career. Am I thrilled with how DJT has personally attacked many people? NO. More importantly, I have never been happier with the performance of our president. We are moving towards peace in the Korean pennisula, we are defeating ISIS and moving towards peace in the middle east. We are trying to level the playing field in world trade and making things fairer for American workers and companies. We are strengthening our military and we are strengthening our economy. We have lowed our taxes, put money in the pockets of Americans and reduced regulations.
And most importantly ... he is doing exactly what he said he was going to do ... and his is no lying to the American People.
I strongly advice the NY Times, Washington Post, the Washington elite and the rest of the media to drop their war against the president and report fairly ... or risk losing their franchise to free speech permanently.
"Franchise to free speech."
Another example of why we need civics classes.
McCain and to lesser extent George H.W. Bush as well are profoundly decent men. Trump, blatantly "telling it like it is," has blown the cover off the GOP charade ongoing since at least the Reagan years. The shame of the Trump years so far belongs exclusively to the GOP and not to America itself. America remains redeemable; the GOP's chances are fading fast.
In his final days Senator McCain orchestrates his deification but fails to notice he's let the mask slip--he remains vindictive to the end.
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Though I never went along with most of John McCain's political views, I AlWAYS had the utmost respect for the man. HIs military service and love for this country is remarkable.
Unfortunately he did not speak out enough ( in my opinion) against the evil that has now taken hold of this country. I will always respect and admire him, but I will always wonder how much more he could have done to posibly rally some of the GOP against this treacherous, loathsome,ignorant, degenerate that somehow captured the Presidency of this land.
A beautifully-written piece, but gauzy and - I'm sorry, rather blind, Mr. Bruni.
If McCain is so "good" a person as you say, he should have endorsed his former colleague Hillary Clinton for president. Idealistic of me, you say?
Trump was shown utterly clearly to be a danger to this nation - a complete bigot and xenophobe, among other irredeemable faults. The fact that McCain actually endorsed Trump is unforgivable. Yes, he withdrew his endorsement after Access Hollywood, but that was far from enough.
We can acknowledge McCain's good qualities without being blind to his tremendous negligence. Just because there are "worse Republicans" does not mean he deserves adulation.
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It is incredibly difficult for me to paint with words the depths of this despair that I have been feeling (precisely from 11 pm on 8th November 2016) for this, my adored, adopted country, the place that I personally feel I was born to be in. The events that took place since that fateful night unfold before me precisely as if I were in a bad dream, and all I have to do is pinch myself and it will all go away.
John McCain, the contrary war hero, served his country incredibly well and then ended up throwing his supreme sacrifice away by completely towing the Republican lying line.
He very partially redeemed himself by gently publicly rebuking the woman who accused Obama of being an Arab and then by his thumbs down vote in the Senate. However, for most of his life, he curbed what I feel was his natural good sense and decency and instead did what was politically expedient.
We will always remember his service to our country, but he chose to forego greatness when he cravenly served the Republican bottom line....
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McCain's choice of the likes of Sarah Palin helped pave the way for a Trump presidency. A little late complaining about it after the fact.
Jeff Flake was the first and loudest critic of this charlatan-in-chief and deserves more credit for courage in the fight for his party.
While I respect McCain's restraint when the malingerer-in-chief maligned his heroism, he should have been shouting from the highest mountain in Arizona DURING the election the danger that this man posed to the country.
The man cannot help himself: he craves attention. He is planning his funeral that Pence will attend; sad. I have read a lot about spoiled McCain. The Vietnamese could not understand why Americans were so enamored with a songbird. He likes dissent and never got over the fact he never became president. He likes to intentionally disagree for attention and control. Acting out at his age with immaturity is typical for a politician. Life shall go on without him when the time comes.
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It's not just Trump who insists on "instant gratification". It's the people who believe his lies and puffery, who voted for him. They come bundled with short attention spans, misinformed, "Fox and Rush" notions of history, and an inability to remember anything that they didn't learn from those same sources.
Contrast Senator McCain’s remonstrance of the woman at his campaign rally for calling Barack Obama “an Arab,” with Trump at his recent Michigan rally encouraging the audience to boo Hispanics.
John McCain has sought to unify and find common ground between all Americans, while Donald Trump seeks only to stir up hatred and division between Americans. McCain has some claim to having led an honorable life of public service, Trump has none.
This column exemplifies the admiration and respect given some Republicans only in the rear view mirror. In 2000, and especially in 2008, McCain was routinely mocked in the press. The left has even taken to saying that W wasn't *really* that bad and my, how he has comported himself with dignity and quiet respect for his successor.
The reference point, of course, is Donald Trump. I am uncomfortable with him in some--some--respects, but ignore, entirely, liberals' assessments of him. They have cried wolf about Republicans far too often to be taken seripusly.
Our American system of government requires two healthy political parties. Hopefully leadership like McCain's saves the Republican Party from the ash heap of history.
Kerrey said that “history is not going to be kind to those who were silent” about Trump’s attack on truth, norms, civility and so much else.
If only silence and acquiescence was the worst problem.
The sins of many congressional Republicans go well past silence and can only be described as active collaboration with an ignorant, racist, authoritarian ... Full throated support by white evangelical for a president who makes a mockery of what profess to stand far ... Chants of "Lock her up" and "Build that Wall" by supporters who also laugh and cheer as Trump attacks the integrity of the FBI, an independent judiciary a free press, and free elections.
While silence would be an improvement for far too many in his party, I'm glad that McCain is still shouting.
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It’s too little, too late. McCain voted for many (all?) of Trump’s horrible cabinet choices, and with Republicans on many of the awful bills. He’s a great man who didn’t stand tall when it really counted.
"John McCain Battles Donald Trump With His Dying Breaths."
And, Trump, with total lack of class, continues to hound the man during his most trying times.
Last week, in his campaign-style rally speech for his rabid supporters in Washington Twp., MI:
(In full Trumpian style, the hand gestures, facial contortions and voice inflection.)
"Except for one vote, remember the one vote? 3:00 in the morning. Thumbs downs. What a vote that was. What a vote that was. That was some vote. But, despite that vote, it's going to come out great. We have gotten rid of a lot of OBAMACARE. We will get rid of the rest."
McCain- War hero, American patriot, noted Senator
Trump- Classless, baffling display of incompetence at the highest level.
Hey Frank, remember a few months ago when McCain voted against Trump's "Tax Cuts For Billionaires and Big Business?" Yeah, neither do I. Just because someone has a horrible disease does not change who they are and what they did with their life.
I have many issues with Mr. McCain, his views and a perceived impetuousness. However, he is a genuine American hero. Trump lost me when he belittled his sacrifice as a prisoner. Cadet Bonespurs should never be mentioned in the same breath as anyone who served in the military much less one who served with such bravery.
We are witnessing the unraveling of our democracy - make no mistake about it. We have so dumbed down our discourse that we accept this lying narcissist and his musings as the new normal. He lies so often he does not know what truth is. No wonder his lawyers fear Trump facing the Mueller team at deposition.
I fear for our country if all of us do not stand up and scream our disapproval in ways that make those who have been elected as our representatives pay attention and bring this extreme miscreant to heal.
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"“If Trump’s presidency fails, Senator McCain will be remembered as a Jeremiah who warned that the party had taken a road to perdition.” And if it succeeds? Then he is “part of an old guard” vainly resisting a new day, Critchlow said."
By many measures, autocrats like Putin or Erdogan have "succeeded", their approval ratings are enviably high in their countries.
Still, no thank you!
Peace be with you old warrior. This IS the good fight.
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I have not always agreed with Senator McCain's political decisions. But I have always respected and admired his courage, honor, decency and belief in service to Country. While his political, and personal life, has been full of examples of his courage, honor and decency, to me, his finest hour came during the 2008 Presidential campaign.
A woman came up to him at a rally and said, among other things, that she can't trust Obama because, among other things, "he's a Arab."
Her comment prompted McCain to immediately shake his head and take the microphone from her.
“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."
That shows me a man who is grounded in what he believes in, and believes that our Country is better than one man, one idea.
As I said, I have often disagreed with him. But, at least to me, he has always been a man of honor, courage and belief that sacrifice in the service of our Country is a duty for us all.
In the interest of full disclosure, when I was pounding the ground, jungle and rice paddies of RVN back in the day, I use to make fun of the "zoomies" who flew above us. It was most likely envy. John McCain was a "zoomie." But he proved himself to be so much more. You can disagree with some of his politics, but - at least in my old feeble mind - you can't find any fault in the man who served our Country with honor, courage and dignity.
John McCain is the embodiment of sacrifice, service, and love for our country. It's the John McCains who define American greatness. Trump's dumb rallies define the oblivion of selfishness.
I'm wishing for an opportunity to thank Senator McCain in person. Mr Bruni's insightful essay imbues the meaning behind our gratitude: "Thank you, John McCain and thank you, John McCain's family."
He's a true patriot whose worst mistake was choosing Sarah Palin. But most mistakes by most people pale in comparison with the biggest mistake of all: Trump.
One day soon we'll wake to the news of a significant political death; unfortunately it will be the passing of John McCain.
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Thank you, Mr. Bruni, for shining a timely bright light on distinguished Americans like McCain and George H.W. Bush. Hopefully it may remind Trump supporters --and haters alike-- of what it means to be honorable, and help point the way out of our current nightmare.
I often disagreed with Senator McCain, sometimes bitterly, but I never doubted his sincerity, his integrity or as you so well defined, his grace. It is important to remind republicans and democrats alike of what they once were.
Comparing Trump to real republicans may help his supporters realize that their “leader” is a fake, an aberration, a terrible political mistake. Similarly, the “resistance” must be careful not to cross the line of incivility as it attacks the crime family boss in the White House. When the nightmare is over, as it will be, we must be able to work together to rebuild the immense damage caused by these corrupt gangsters.
Enough, Frank about the disaster of Trump and his dismantling of what was known as America. Agreed that Senator McCain is a brave and patriotic man, worthy of the highest of praise. For too many months now, you and dozens of others have written eloquently about this calamity we are living through. It's clear. It's obvious. What, Frank, can be done to rid us of this cursed administration before it is really too late? Anyone can write about how terrible Trump is that is clear. What we as Americans can do about it - now - is what we need to hear.
Frank Bruni's column here is rich in its exquisiteness in what McCain as an American political leader should possess in non-political terms. As the piece makes certain, one can disagree politically without being disagreeable or being...insecure, narcissistic to a malignant degree, who takes solace in lying, who creates facts out of thin air, and who has criticized a war hero from the bleachers of being a draft dodger with supposed bone spurs as avoiding military service---all as Trump has done, did before becoming president, and will continue to do as so long as he is lawfully allowed to remain in office this term. As much as Trump THINKS his persona is that of an autocratic despot that believes the rule of law is irreverent to him, McCain is a patriot that has served his country admirably, and worthy of admiration and praise from both sides of the aisle. As an earlier comment makes known, however, McCain should have stumped with Americans and his Senate colleagues with his message as articulated by Bruni; while he (McCain) still has breath, at least he is making up for considerable lost time with his views now being made known, and with his book coming out later this month. All Americans should heed his word and message come election day, November 8. Vote to regain our country and democracy from the experiment we call the Trump presidency that isn't just failing, but has failed!
Where did McCain come out on the Garland nomination? Where did he come out on the cabinet appointments? What is his view of the special prosecutor? When he ran against Obama his platform has cap and trade in it. Where is he now on climate policy?
Frank,
You said it perfectly . I have had to learn the hard way that no man is perfect and that good men make lots of mistakes as they struggle with life's choices .
My outrage over Palin plus other McCain errors do not alter the multiple examples of character and leadership that Mc Cain has demonstrated. He is a very good man, especially under stress where it counts. Donald is jealous of heroes.
Has anyone noticed that D.J.T. is frightened and scornful of " good men". Comey another example - many mistakes- but as a man of known character and integrity, he is threatening to Trump.
2
McCain is one of David Halberstam's "Best and the Brightest" - still is, and always will be. Thank you, for reminding me that not all Republicans are villains. In the midst of riotous chaos that has become our norm, the still, small voice bespeaking honor and certain truths McCain honed as he matured as an able and ardent statesman and ambassador of all that is truly noble is the ideal of
American exceptionalism.
3
Congress needs to step up to the plate.
We have 3 branches of government and Republicans have not met their responsibilities. After becoming the Party of No on 1/20/09 and obstructing as much of President Obama's actions as possible, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell have turned Congress into Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil. They refused to act on Russian interference, and allow the chaos of Trump to continue.
John McCain could, and hopefully will, speak out and gather enough Republicans willing to put the good of America before the good of the GOP.
I am a Democrat, but I have always believed our country is strongest when we have both parties working together for the common good. The recently retired Senator Barbara Mikulski represented my state, and she believed in crossing the aisle and compromise. We need more people like her, and John McCain has been one for most of his time in Congress.
Lead the way, Senator McCain.
Remind your party that being in Congress is the highest act of public service, and that our politicians should be some of the best among us, not the worst.
Make sure to vote on November 6th.
12
I'm just slightly creeped out that we're talking about the guy as if he'll be dead tomorrow. I don't know his actual condition, but it seems inappropriate in a way.
3
If only John McCain had actually used his virtue to do anything about the situation. Yes, he took one vote against his party, and he made a speech complaining about decency, but he said nothing about Merrick Garland; he voted with Trump repeated; and he failed the one key test of strength that he could have shown: He remained in the Republican Party as it went off the rails. If he or Flake or Corker wanted any claim on actual decency, they should have flipped the Senate to Democrats to show the country that the situation was not acceptable and would be resisted. Instead, they wrung their hands and played along.
24
The people who voted for Trump are, in large part, the very same that voted for Mr. McCain and for every other elected Republican in our government. They didn't just appear out of thin air. Don't act all surprised, Mr. McCain.
10
Mr Bruni-as a clergyman, I share your view that in every life there are moments of honor and moments when we could have done much better. Like you, I will try to recall Mr McCain's more honorable moments. There was a time, if you recall, when a military officer serving in Iraq went to Mr McCain, and only Mr McCain, when he discovered rampant torture committed by the Bush Administration because he considered him the one honorable man in the Senate. Alas that after having worked to expose the horrific crimes of the Bush Administration, Mr McCain chose to embrace that same administration to further his own ambitions. Had he not, he would not have been picked to run for president, but he would have solidified his place as a man of honor in a tarnished and horrifying era.
11
If McCain would have selected Lieberman over Palin in 2008 as a running mate, he would have received my vote and many others and likely would have won the election. Instead his rashness got the best of him. For all his admirable qualities and experiences, this one decision was the catalyst for where the US is today. What became important was style not substance, partisanship over principle, and personality over servant leadership. Very sad.
12
Palin was an early symptom not the cause. Ill-informed, easily swayed, mostly distracted, low curiosity, tribal citizens who, like lemmings followed others off a cliff, brought us DJT. Add in the laundry list of reasonable to erratic reasons not to vote for Hillary and you have us where we are today.
1
I have rarely agreed with Senator McCain's politics. But he earned my unflagging respect when he said to the Senate about torture: "It's not about who they are; it's about who we are." He made that comment at a moment in history when many in this country had forgotten who we were.
In the 2008 campaign, he once again tried to remind us of who we are, when one of his supporters said at a rally that candidate Obama was "an Arab." Without the slightest hesitation, he shook his head no, took the microphone from the woman and said, “No ma’am, 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.” That may be the last time we saw such grace and decency in a presidential candidate; certainly it was the last time any Republican exhibited it.
There is thus a certain poetic eloquence about the fact that in his swan song, Senator McCain again reminds us of who we are -- or at least, who we used to be. Sadly, though, to Trump voters, I'm not sure any of that matters.
21
it is worth noting that when McCain corrected that supporter about President Obama, he was roundly booed by his Republican audience. Surely that should have been seen as a sign of exactly how base Republican politics had become, even by 2008.
Yes, quite the hero to vote for the largest tax decrease in history going to the 1%. Let’s not forget some balance here.
19
Senator McCain is an American hero to me. It is sometimes forgotten that he flew many combat missions before being shot down and captured during the Vietnam war. He showed much bravery before and during his torturous captivity. I hope he will not just be the "old guard" of Congress. It is telling how many friends he has on both sides of the aisle. Their is only one way to gain that kind of respect, he has a strong ethical core and gives respect to those in the opposition. I pray that Trump will be an anomaly in our political history.
19
Grace and the name of Trump are at complete odds. McCain has had a lifetime of service to country and our ideals. Trump uses our system to enrich himself. We do not need history to tell us what we already know. It is a true shame that McCain is ill and Trump is enjoying the kind of health he dictated to his physician to write in his health report.
8
“He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.”
The fact that Republicans didn't reject Trump after this statement was probably the most shocking moment of the presidential campaign. I thought for sure this was what was going to knock him out of the race. That the right, who love the military more than anything, accepted this statement without a blink was shocking. I don't agree with John McCain about most things but he is an American hero and for that I will always admire him.
54
Trump was right: he could’ve shot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and his base would have still voted for him.
1
Yeah, that was where I thought his candidacy was over. Then again, there were about a hundred moments like that. Sticking with the military theme, I also thought it was over when he clashed with the Gold Star family. I thought it was over when the "bone spurs" came out. America loves the military, why is anyone putting up with this a**hole dissing the military, dissing a tortured prisoner of war who later became a revered statesman? But none of it seemed to matter. The country lost its mind.
There is a difference between a person's political positions and a person's worth. McCain espoused positions I felt would drag the country too far right at a time we needed the center. But that did not mean that McCain was not every bit a patriot.
Trump has highlighted who the patriots are an who are not. Jeff Flake, another whose politics I abhor, has demonstrated that he puts the country first. Lindsay Graham teeters on the edge, but wants to keep his job. Even the terrible Jeff Sessions has demonstrated his patriotism by regarding the rule of law as more important than pleasing the Ego in Chief.
But Ryan, McConnell? The bulk of our GOP? They are sell outs. They sold out all of the voters who did not vote for them and they sold out the nation. To the GOP goes the Thirty Pieces of Silver Award. Democracy is less important than a tax cut. The people in areas of intractable downturn and unemployment remain invisible as do those dying from terrible healthcare. And the ability to tell their story is dying as our own government undermines the press and anyone willing to help.
Yes, McCain is a patriot. He is literally a dying breed.
32
I have to say that reminiscing about the civility of the 2008 campaign feels a little revisionist to me. Sure, it has gotten worse, but there was plenty of terrible rhetoric - both from third parties that went undenounced and from mccain himself.
In a broader sense, I really can't bring myself to give mccain much credit legislatively. He has often seemed to be able to stand up as a "maverick" when there is little consequence, but always vote the way his party needs him to. Sure, the ACA repeal is one example, but was it really that hard for a maverick who believes in "regular order"? That one should have been obvious.
5
I cannot recall ever seeing a columnist taking time to respond to readers' comments. Thank you, Mr. Bruni, for opening a conversation through your editorial, and many more thank you's for continuing the conversation through your carefully, thoughtfully considered replies to our comments. The epitome of civility which I hope becomes a thing.....
22
McCain had done good work, and I appreciate his statesmanship through the years. And yet, while speaking out against Trump, the only vote he made opposing Trump was on the ACA repeal. Other than that he's voted in lockstep with his party, when he's been able to vote, including for Trump's horrendous nominees. Opposition without action is not enough
37
It's about Character, the Calibre of a person when called to face adversity or take the road less travelled and harder to reach the destination but mandatory for the journey taken to be worth something and that destination to become important and given it's true reason for its location to be met.
We can call it The Journey of Life that each and everyone of us takes , meets and finally completes.
But how that Journey is taken, what we achieve, hope and dream throughout it not only colors our lives by those we may meet, find and affect but also what they teach us, what we learn and how we garner the wisdom that we build and take as we go and also impart and share to others as we continue our journey to our final destination.
And once we are gone , it may be or seem that memories are the only , fleeting legacy of our having been best remembered by those who were touched by the life that was lived.
For the best of us, they who make their mark to the few or the many, leave behind a legacy that has made a difference , helped the many or contributed in ways and means that make such a mark or change the World in ways or by the means they made happen...they are those and the ones whose Journey left the marks not forgotten and which will remain forever as the indelible testimony of the path that was taken on the Journey we make , but of theirs show us all just how much can be done by just one , and how much more could be achieved if were done by the so many who could , but don't.
3
John McCain will never know exactly how many older American's such as I, depended on his statesmanship to guide us thru the turbulent waters of these times.
His voice was our voice, even if not in full agreement, our fears were calmed by his humanity, his character, his grit.
I don't know what our world will be like without the likes of a John McCain in it.
I do know that it was better that he was here.
Thank you John. God bless us all.
10
I have mostly admired the man and will weep real tears when he passes but he has disappointed me greatly many times. His most recent vote for a tax cut that a man of his experience must realize is simply a transfer of wealth was a travesty and so much in contrast to his vote on health care. But who among us can call ourselves perfect. I am reminded of Shakespeare:
"He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again."
26
J-- very apt quote.
Senator McCain, thank you for your service, integrity and bravery. I wish you and your family peace in the days ahead.
18
I do not doubt that John McCain appears to be a more emotionally healthy person than Donald Trump, and that he is capable of (sometimes, not always) expressing more empathy than Trump. But given that McCain (and almost every other presidential candidate over the past thirty years) is a member of the "hundred-millionaire-club," I simply do not believe that McCain (or Trump or Clinton or the Bushes) or any of them, understand what life is like for the vast majority of us. I do not understand the tax policies they all pursue, and I do not understand why they pretend that the American economy is functional for the majority of us, when it is not. I do not really see any of these people as "battling" each other. I see them as members of the same club, putting on pretend "we're fighting for you" airs when the C-SPAN cameras are on. Then, after their "performance," they go back to engineering a horrifying economy that only functions for them. Do none of these people have friends or family members working in the hopeless slave-like service industry that most of the corporate tax benefiters have foisted upon us as "jobs?" Do they think that "if only Trump was not elected," things would be much different? Unfortunately, they would not, as the problem is the system itself, which has completely disempowered labor returning us to the 19th century, where vast sums of money are concentrated in the hands of the few. I wish it were as simple "battling Trump," but it's not. It's not
86
I appreciate some of your points regarding the economy and the squeeze on the lower and middle classes, but you’re engaging in hyperbole, and I’m not quite buying the dark vision of the country you’re painting, or the false equivalency you’re attempting to create between Trump and all other presidents and presidential candidates.
12
Why do you think Trump is the one to battle. Trump wants to reduce immigration thereby reducing the labor pool and icreasing wages. Which other candidate even claims that goal.
In the end the only real issue that is keeping Trump afloat is immigration. Take that issue off the table and he is gone, and so is his party.
13
Caveman007, that means that you understand how important the issue of illegals is to Trump suppporters AND some of those on the other side as well. After reading recent NYT comments about Central Americans demanding asylum at the border, it’s voters on both sides who are against illegal immigration.
2
There is another issue. It's called "sticking it to the liberals." It may not matter as much to you or I, but an entire sub-wing of the modern Republican party is dedicated exhaustively to sticking fingers into liberal eyes, poking them in the ribs, doing things to provoke and "yank the chain" of the "snowflakes," "libtards," "Obummer voters," "commies" "East Coast elites," minorities and other Americans or groups that they hate. Many are voting and getting off on the sheer antagonism of it, the actual policies or results the Republicans stand for are unimportant to them.
I believe history will remember John McCain and politicians who see the world as he does, as good public servants, irrespective of individual decisions. No one person has all the answers or makes all the right political moves, but there has never been a doubt in my mind about Senator McCain's natural motivations and ultimate goals.
2008, as McCain was wrapping up the primary, was perhaps the last time I thought it was sensible to vote as an Independent, but the stakes appear too high to not vote with consequences in mind. I hope we once again return to those days when candidates from both sides of the political spectrum can be appealing to a moderate, fiscally minded, middle class American.
12
As an Arizona resident I have voted for and against McCain for senator. He did not get my vote for president. But I have been extremely proud of him during the Trump disaster (er, term). Thank you for your integrity and your caring about this country, Senator.
52
I admire John McCain the man but dislike John McCain the politician. Yes, he has done and said some good things about Obama and against Trump and his vote preserved the ACA. What I would love to see from McCain now is pushback against the NRA. If John McCain, who's received a huge amount of money from the NRA, said there was no reason civilians needed AR-17s (and he is certainly someone who should know that), his words would carry a lot of weight. If McCain fought a final battle against the NRA's intransigent attitude that every gun is a good and necessary gun and the more the better, I think lots of people would admire and respect him even more.
61
He's dying. Perhaps soon. I imagine he has more important things to reflect upon than his job. Like his wife and children.
He's done his part.
I think you meant AR-15
Thank you Mr. Bruni for a well written and thoughtful article. I wish everyone would read it and take it to heart.
24
"McCain has always believed, to his core, in sacrifice, honor and allegiance to something larger than oneself. Trump believes in Trump, and whatever wreckage he causes in deference to that god is of no concern."
And that is why Trump is unfit to be president or serve in any capacity in which he represents America. It's all about him. Ever since he took office he's been tweeting, ranting, and whining about how mistreated he's been, how misunderstood he is, how he's better than anyone else at everything else.
McCain did serve his country. He did not object enough to many things that have happened in the party he joined. He did make a mistake selecting Sarah Palin as his running mate. He has not been as independent or critical as he ought to have been. But he, unlike Trump, knows that there is a world outside of him. Trump exists solely for Trump. He reminds this reader of a spoilt child whose every whim has been met, who hasn't learned that the world doesn't owe him a thing until he learns to get along in it. This can be said of the GOP leadership as well. They behave as if we owe them.
Trump, if he was a real president, would be serving all Americans. The GOP, if they truly cared about Americans would be doing more than cutting taxes and cutting programs that help working Americans. They would be investing in America and Americans. They are kowtowing to their rich donors instead. And McCain should be honored that Trump will not attend his funeral.
29
I'm going to miss the old guy. He's flawed, as are we all, but he's one of the few bright shining lights in Washington. I doubt I will see his like again.
26
I am struck by come of the comments here that illustrate, at least to me, the very impenetrable partisanship both McCain and Frank Bruni are fighting against. The grudging first sentences admitting McCain's good efforts followed by the litany of his mistakes, etc. Simply give the man his humanity -good and bad - as none of us are any better, and have some grace yourselves.
25
I'm struck by how mean many of these comments are. I hope when they're 81 they're regarded just as compassionately.
I think it goes beyond "mistakes" to trumpet being a maverick and then vote the party line, having said that policy or law is wrong. That's disingenuous to say the least. He is certainly a decent man but not entitled to hagiography.
"McCain has always believed, to his core, in sacrifice, honor and allegiance to something larger than oneself."
No, Frank, he hasn't. Just like the rest of the GOP, McCain has voted along the party line for the vast majority of his Senate career. FiveThirtyEight has crunched the numbers on this. Depending on which year you are talking about, McCain's voting record has shown him voting with the GOP on all issues between 85.6-88.4% of the time. The whole 'maverick' thing is just another media-created narrative that doesn't hold much water when looked at with any degree of scrutiny, much like the narrative of Paul Ryan being a 'policy wonk'.
106
You do realize you can say the same thing about many Democrats, right? Politicians are part of a party because they believe in what the party stands for, so why is it so surprising that Sen. McCain voted Republican? Just because you didn’t like his positions on issues doesn’t mean he didn’t vote his conscience.
He is a Republican. Why is voting with them so shocking? That's what "party" entails.
I admire Senator McCain’s courage. At the same time I’m overwhelmed with the resilience of Mr. T et.al.
Athens, Romans and Weimar Germans destroyed their democratic mechanism after it started to function as the tool for demagogues and majority to gain instant joy of ‘victories’ rather than mechanism to offer a mid-to-long term subcontract of high duties to leaders subject to reasonable population’s check afterward.
I may not be the only one, despite of aching hope for otherwise, who is afraid if in the near future reasonable Americans may recover the USA from Trumpism.
By the way, while I do not assume Senator MaCain is a perfect person or statesman, how many Republican Senators have similar traits of courage and straightforwardness like Senator McCain’s? Strikingly few, I’m afraid. How many Democrats? How many Americans?
14
Thank you, Mr. Bruni, for a beautiful column. One day each American will be judged by where he or she stood in the case of Trump. Captain McCain, Senator McCain, stood on the right side.
23
McCain needs to do one more thing to be considered a hero by me: he needs to resign from the Senate now. As I understand it, if he leaves office before May 30, there is a special election and the people of Arizona get to decide who will represent them the next two years; if he is still in office May 30, the Republican governor will appoint the replacement - probably a Trump supporter that McCain would abhor.
63
I agree wholeheartedly. Let go, and let the people choose the person to replace you, not our craven governor who may very well appoint himself. We can’t take two more years of this disaster. We need a Congress that will finally step up and exert the power that is theirs to put a check on this dysfunctional executive. I’d use stronger language but it couldn’t be published in the NYT.
26
Did you read the article? That is exactly the type of knee-jerk, partisan expediency the author was railing against...
Doesn’t the thread start with Mr. Nixon’s Southern Strategy? It wound across Mr. Reagan’s visit to the Neshoba County Fair in 1980. It circled Mr. HW Bush’s Willie Horton campaign ad. After the Cold War that Captain McCain fought in was won, it burrowed into conservative broadcasting by Messrs. Ailes, Limbaugh, and Murdoch.
Today, the respected conservatism, the American honor that Sen. McCain exemplifies has frayed beyond repair in the once grand old party. Make no mistake; Mr. Trump is cut from the same thread Republicans started sewing 45 years ago. But, but the votes are there…
13
First of all, I would like to thank John McCain for his faithful service to his country, both in its defense and in the Senate.
Strong values and respect for the dignity of others has not been in the vocabulary of the Republican Party since the first George Bush and for those values he was disdained by his own party and barely supported for a second term.
Trump is the product of this long disdain for ethical principles in his party which only respects a winner, someone who can toss out their values to win a prize like the White House or bundles of cash no matter how lawlessly gained.
That John McCain could not see this happening to his party is a flaw, the recognition of which only recently allowed him to condemn the ultimate fruit of the Republican Party, Donald Trump.
22
He is firmly planting his legacy in others to continue the fight, the good fight, a most righteous classic one of good versus evil. McCain is one of the two bravest soldiers I ever knew. The other was my father. His bravery was never greater than when he voted no against repealing the Affordable Care act. His bravery probably saved millions of lives into the future. I will never forget that.
32
It is painful to see John McCain suffering from terminal brain cancer. He is truly an American hero. A real man. He has given so much to his country. Of course, the purpose of this essay is to contrast the heroic against the viper in the White House. I have been around a fairly long time, and I don't recall anyone who has been rejected so strongly on moral grounds other than Richard Nixon, the closest parallel to Donald Trump.
What remains truly mystifying is the ability of the public, at least two fifths of it, to adore a man not only unfit but wholly destructive of our civil society. What is most shameful is not the man, because he is but one solitary person, but the large group of enablers we see on television every day. Trump is upsetting, but the Trump enablers, the politicians who sing his praises, the right wing journalists and shock jocks and those who serve loyally in his administration, together they are blight on our civilization. Perhaps they don't realize that. They should.
44
Although I admire his genuine, patriotic side, I remain of two minds about his penchant for political opportunism. One big example: Did his selection of Sarah Palin for VP help prepare the way for Trump? You bet it did.
44
If Senator McCain thought that Trump was reprehensible and a threat to our democracy, then why did he sit idly by and confirm every one of his appointments? If Trump is such a threat to our democracy, then why did Senator McCain not assist the Democratic party? If Trump is such a threat to our democracy, why did Senator McCain vote for the tax bill?
It would appear to me that Senator McCain's actions speak louder than his words. It's all well and good that he can speak out about Trump, however when push comes to shove he, like every other republican, puts party above country. An American hero? An American hero helps those at the bottom and gives them every opportunity to succeed, not just give tax breaks to those at the top. An American hero believes that every person deserves equal treatment, no matter race, creed or gender. An American hero doesn't succumb to special interest groups or radicilized religious zealots.
John McCain gave rise to Trump's America. By providing a platform for the Tea Party in the form of Sarah Palin, McCain essentially laid the groundwork for the growth and mainstream appeal of the far right.
John McCain is the absolute antithesis of an American hero. He should blame nobody but himself for the America we now find ourselves in. 30 years in the senate and this is what he has to show for it? I feel no sympathy for John McCain. He saw the problem but refused to fix it.
60
I'm sorry but John McCain does not get my respect for his time in the Senate.
For his war service, he's given more to this nation than nearly everyone.
But when you vote with the Republicans 95% of the time, it's hard for me to praise him in these late days of his life.
Battling "Trump With His Dying Breaths" does disservice the fact that McCain voted with Trump well over 99% of the time!
Besides, without his nomination of Sarah Palin as VP, I doubt there would be a President Trump.
44
Did you have the same disdain for Democrats who voted with Mr. Obama 95% of the time? Just because you didn’t like his positions doesn’t mean Senator McCain wasn’t sincere.
But Trump did say that even if he didn’t have a gun he really believes he would run into a school to defend against a shooter, so there. Seriously though, McCain has been very decent. I would point out that, while I appreciated McCain’s polite correction regarding Obama being a decent man, wouldn’t the best response to that woman have been to say that Obama is not a Muslim, but nevertheless there’s nothing wrong with being a Muslim. I guess that’s a lot to expect.
11
It appears that truth and honor are dying , withering on the vine along with those who truly have been heroic . That is what has become difficult for those of us who still believe in honoring those who epitomize those qualities that have been part and parcel of our country and the reason the world looked to America in times of global conflicts . We are not perfect as a country , and never have been but still America represented a place where citizens of other countries wanted to immigrate to . Now we are besieged by the crass , that has brought about the ugly side of humanity .The fault lies not in our stars but in us as a country ; when people can overlook lies , crude behavior and consider it irrelevant . John McCain is a true hero and patriot and has fought the good fight , fight on Mr. McCain , fight on .
4
I need to make this point once more about President Obama. As many times as I have made it, it seems to be perpetually and universally ignored. Ted Cruz was born in Canada. That did not stop him from finishing second in the vote for the 2016 Republican nomination. Why? Because his mother was a citizen of the US. Not even Trump suggested that Obama's mother, who was born in Kansas, was not a US citizen. In fact John McCain was born in Panama. Even if Obama had been born in Kenya, Canada or Panama he would have been a legitimate president of the US.
35
Mr. Mueller, deliver your evidence to Senator McCain for safe handling in case your are dismissed.
Maybe he will see it gets to the right people.
7
Thank you Senator McCain for being one of the very few GOP members of Congress to call out Trump, a man who had the audacity to say McCain is not a national hero because he was captured, a man who, instead of serving like McCain dodged the war with his phony bone spur exemption. And thank you Senator McCain for dispensing with the window dressing phoniness of Washington by requesting that Trump not attend his funeral. McCain will be remembered as a national hero while Trump's disgraceful legacy is already etched in stone.
17
Yes, McCain brought us Sara Palin, and yes, he was much more conservative than I could ever vote for, but he could reach across aisles to gather consensus. Now he is dying, and making a statement about values. You know McCain believed in Republican values...and you know he had a front row seat that proved to him that trump didn't have any values.
9
Such weak praise, Bruni. The "irony" you suggest about McCain's choice of Palin to be his Vice-Presidential candidate shouldn't be dismissed so lightly. He should have known that of course he was contributing significantly to the Foxification of American politics. And he's writing a book about his regrets that that has happened? Weak and sad, just as, alas, the man has showed himself to be.
9
McCain is the best counterpoint we could have to the garishness of a Trump. MCCain is all about respect for American values while Trump essentially despises our cultural values. John McCain will never get the credit he deserves for being the moral stalwart that he is. Trump has stepped all over the example McCain has set and it is frustrating that the Senator has not been more vocal in his disavowing of Trump’s destructive tendencies and actions.
3
There is a tragic symmetry to the demise of John McCain and Ted Kennedy. They were friends although they were from opposing parties. They both got brain cancer at a critical time in their careers. Kennedy had fought all his career for universal health care, and when it was seemingly within grasp, he died before seeing the outcome. McCain has fought all his career for international relations and the welfare of veterans. Now that they are under attack, he will not be present to try to sway the outcome. Their loss is ours. When we needed them most - and they most needed to be there - life took a different turn. May they both be remembered as outstanding public servants.
9
This is a lovely tribute to a good man, John McCain. I might not have always agreed with his policies, but I knew he is a man with character. I knew that from his history in Vietnam and how he chose to stay with his comrades instead of take an early departure from prison. I also had that confirmed again when during his campaign, a townhall, a woman asked McCain, "isn't Obama a Muslim and he's not really an American?" John McCain answered her truthfully and clearly. He replied to her question saying "no that's not true, he is American and a decent family man." He didn't try to equivocation or obfuscate or quip some ridiculous political double-talk. He told the truth. If Republicans would have only learned from that example. But they didn't and still dont. They'd rather listen to the biggest grinder ever, Trump. When I heard Trump disrespect McCain early on, that said it all for me. He has no class or character. May John McCain last days be happy, peaceful ones!
12