Over these next few days, we will be talking about the great John McCain.
By now, you know the Senator from Arizona died as a result of brain cancer. He was 81. By all measure, a full life and then some. Prisoner of war. War hero. Politician. Presidential candidate. Maverick. Patriot. I think he had a great sense of humor too.
I came across a quote he made after losing the Presidential election to Barack Obama. “After I lost, I slept like a baby. Sleep two hours, wake up and cry, sleep two hours, wake up and cry.” John McCain was not a fan of Donald Trump. President Trump was not a fan of his. That’s pretty obvious.
It does make me wish for the old days in politics. If you are “of an age,” you remember when politicians got along. Even those from opposing parties got along. It’s okay to disagree with ideology and philosophy, but don’t insult a man’s character.
John McCain came from that world of politics. That world that I hope we can someday return to. John McCain is one of the last of his kind. Maybe, the last. I interviewed him along the way. He was a gentleman. Gentleman. I don’t say that about too many people in public life anymore. Gentleman. I’m sad to say that I think that word has fallen out of fashion. As I remember John McCain, the maverick, the politician, the war hero… I think I will think about the gentleman too. I aspire to be that. A gentleman.