I was not a fan of John McCain.

[Drunken Irishman]

I was terrified of him becoming president. I still think, on the whole, he did serious damage selecting Sarah Palin as his running-mate. But I also know I am not the President of the United States. I know my words are just that of someone on a message board. I respected McCain for his service, though. I am the son of a Vietnam Veteran (101st Airborne - RIP) and while my own father didn't vote for McCain (he was a hardcore Democrat, with 2008 being his last election before he passed due to complications from Agent Orange), I know he had a bond with McCain and the battle he went through. I know he respected him for it.

There were lots of votes, and comments, that made me mad at McCain when he was alive. I cursed him. I even at times came to loath him ... but I also knew that if Barack Obama, the man who ran against him in one of the most vilest, awful campaigns that I can remember, could get up there and praise John McCain the Man, well the least I could ever do is respect his service and respect him in death.

I look at McCain and his friendship with Vice President Biden to know that, when you strip away politics, and ideology, there was still humanity there - however flawed.

This isn't revisionist history. This is about the cruelty of a President and the continued assault on every value I thought this country stood for.

Honestly, I don't give two shits what your ideology is. You can be a conservative, a liberal, a centrist, indifferent or ambivalent. I just care you are a good person. I cannot understand the rationale of voting for someone wholly on ideological grounds when they prove, time and time again, they lack any shred of human decency.

It really rattles me, even today, even right now, his supporters feel inclined to drag John McCain's name to defend the words of their leader - and that a significant amount of this country is perfectly fine with that level of hate toward another American.

[obnoxiousdrunk]

1. John Mcain the Man

who saved the ACA aka Obama care.

[still_one]

2. McCain is the reason trump will not be able to refute The Atlantic article

[rufus dog]

3. Good point

His open and documented disrespect of McCain fits the narrative.

Never a McCain fan, but he is screwing the tRump from his grave.

[still_one]

5. It would be nice if the four first hand accounts to The Atlantic article would come forward

[Thekaspervote]

21. Exactly..to say McCain is AZ favorite son is an understatement

I have Democratic family there.. ya just don’t diss the guy. McSally knew she would be appointed to the remaining time of McCain’s seat, but she sunk her senate re-election bid the minute she opened her mouth saying she wished McCain would hurry up and die

Dotard may have just handed us the election with a win in AZ!!

Can’t wait to see what Meghan will have to say!!

[RockRaven]

4. I didn't agree with McCain about almost anything... And I have great, great contempt

for the most significant/weighty public action of his life -- selecting Sarah Palin as the VP nom -- but he does not deserve the treatment that Trump has thrown his way.

That almost goes without saying, of course, because almost nobody deserves to be treated as badly as Trump treats them. But Trump's treatment of McCain is especially gross because it was totally unnecessary and purposeless, it didn't even benefit Trump in any way. But then so is much of Trump's cruelty, I suppose.

I can find good things to say about McCain. ACA repeal "no" vote - good. Magnitsky Act co-sponsorship and "yes" vote - good. Seeemed like a normal human person capable of being friends with those who had political/philosophical/ethical system differences from him - good (I guess ). Etc.

But I'll never be able to ignore McCain choosing Palin. It was so grossly irresponsible and selfish to make a craven political calculation instead of choosing someone capable of the job. She was so ridiculously and obviously ignorant, incapable, and unprepared to be POTUS. And that is the standard for VP. You must be immediately ready to be POTUS. Because about 1/5 of them end up taking over.

It does not wipe out whatever admirable actions or characteristics he might have had, but the most significant public action of his life was dangerous and irresonsible, for selfish reasons. That's my lasting dominant impression of him.

[Withywindle]

6. Me neither, but Dump's statements about him were cruel and callous

and said a lot more about what kind of person Dump was than anything about McCain.

[GeorgiaPeanut]

7. McCain gets the last laugh

Arizona turns blue.

[Drunken Irishman]

10. Yup!

[Skittles]

8. I had to give McCain points when he defended Obama

when some lady trashed Obama, McCain replied: "No ma'am, he is a decent family man"

[crimycarny]

9. Yep

And seeing what the GOP is like these days, that makes McCain’s defense of Obama even more admirable.

[Skittles]

12. I also gave points to Laura Bush

when someone tried to paint an awkwardly phrased sentiment expressed by Michelle Obama as anti-American, Laura would have none of it, she shut down

stuff like that now seems, like, a century ago - it's like there's just no decency left in any of them

[crimycarny]

13. I forgot about that

Thank you for the reminder. I think we all desperately need reminders of human decency from all political stripes.

[Skittles]

14. she was very firm about it

you could see she found it distasteful, offensive - not sure how she got involved with Dubya though

[KentuckyWoman]

17. +1

[JI7]

11. agree and that election would have been far worse if someone like

Huckabee Gingrich or Santorum was the Republican nominee.

Palin was bad but she was treated mostly as a joke the way Trump should have been also.

[BannonsLiver]

15. Whatever Palin was supposed to represent was coming either way

If it wasn’t her it would have been someone else at some other time. The unhinged far RWNJ reaction to the Obama presidency guaranteed it.

[KentuckyWoman]

16. I respected McCain

He was no friend of progressives and did some idiot things trying to be Pres. ... but he earned my belief he did care about Anericans.

[Ohio Joe]

18. That sums it up well...

[jeffreyi]

19. I did not agree with McCain

But I cannot disrespect what he went through.

[madamesilverspurs]

20. It wasn't long before his death

that McCain, speaking in full session in the Senate, admonished his party colleagues to remember that they are co-equal with the president and not subservient to him. What a shame that they chose to ignore him.


.

[Thekaspervote]

22. This!!

[Celerity]

23. yet another reason for Moscow Mitch to join Rump, Barr, Miller, Ivanka, Jared, Jr., and a shedload

of others in the dock for a fair trial for treason and crimes against humanity.

[lapfog_1]

24. you mean THIS John McCain

Sister Sarah was thrust upon him because she was picked to attract the wingnut base. That was on McCain because had he picked someone more reasonable, he might have very well beaten Obama... but he was behind and he knew it... so she was his "hail mary" to get the wingnut base to turn out.