Remembering Senator John McCain

This morning we watched the memorial service for Senator John McCain which was broadcast live from the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. The tributes were touching, the guest list, singularly impressive. Senator McCain inspired a lot of people over the course of his military service and his decades-long political career. He inspired us with his wit, his charm, his commitment to service, and his ability to bridge gaps in order to move important policies forward. But mostly, he inspired us with his unwavering dedication to country, a dedication that was forged and hardened in the dungeons and torture chambers of his North Vietnamese captors during the brutal five-and-a-half years that McCain spent as a prisoner of war. 

Senator McCain’s service to his country will be honored and remembered long into the future. He was one of the last acting politicians who was willing to set partisanship aside in order to do what’s best for the nation, its people, and the world. We can only hope that a new generation of politicians will follow Senator McCain’s lead and dedicate their careers to the ideals that he held so dear, civility and mutual respect, open, honest dialog, common sense, the desire to compromise when necessary in order to make progress, and a dedication to country that rises above partisanship, sponsorship, or the rancor of tribalistic propaganda.

Rest in peace, Senator McCain. You have inspired us, all of us, and you have done more for your country that you will ever be able to know. We thank you, this one final time, for your service. Godspeed.