On Tuesday evening, I paid tribute to Senator John McCain on the Senate floor and spoke about my personal friendship with Sen. McCain and his storied service to our nation and the Senate. I first met Sen. McCain in 1996 when he was in Kansas campaigning for Sen. Bob Dole during his run for president. As I said in my remarks, there is no American I know that is more deserving of the title ‘hero’ than John McCain. To watch my remarks or see a complete transcript, click here.
On Saturday, Robba and I were honored to attend Sen. McCain’s memorial service at the National Cathedral. Filled with his family, friends and colleagues past and present, this service was fitting for the type of man and American hero that Sen. McCain was. His legacy will live on for generations, and our country is better because of him. In the coming weeks and months, Robba and I will be thinking of the McCain family and praying for their comfort during this difficult time.
I recently found time to reflect on Sen. McCain and the legacy he leaves behind:
Upon his death on July 6, 1835, Chief Justice John Marshall received praise from across the nation, though the country was torn between two political parties and the president was the populist Andrew Jackson.
The National Gazette declared "nearly unanimous chorus of fervent eulogy and heartfelt regret is resounding on every side...All this speaks well for the country. It shows that however pernicious may have been the operation of faction...it has not yet destroyed the knowledge of what is right in the land."
As I finished a biography of Marshall in recent days, this passage particularly struck me as I've observed the outpouring of gratitude for the life of John McCain. The respect expressed throughout our country by Republicans and Democrats alike emanates from a desire to see more of our leaders who believe in the American project and remain firm in their principles to sustain it. As with Chief Justice Marshall, some could disagree with Sen. McCain, but few could doubt his sincerity of purpose in what he advocated. In this past week, it is evident people instinctively recognize John's service was never for his own glory but for that of our shared nation.
It is this selfless service that remains "what is right in the land" two centuries later. We are a vastly different nation since Marshall's passing, one that has gone from an isolated outpost in the world to its only superpower, stretching from sea to sea. But our belief in our nation's exceptionalism – fervently espoused by Sen. McCain – remains the same now as it was then. We will disagree, sometimes passionately, as John himself often did with his colleagues and multiple presidents, but the passing of a great man can unite us in the certainty that our country is worth defending, and worth doing so in a dignified and respectful manner. Sen. McCain's family has laid him to rest for all of eternity, may his legacy of believing in the goodness of America and one another remain with us for as long.
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