Sen. John McCain has died from complications of aggressive brain cancer. He was just four days shy of his 82nd birthday.
A Navy officer for 22 years, a tortured prisoner of war in Hanoi for more than five, a congressman for six, a U.S. senator for 31, and the Republican presidential candidate in 2008, McCain became one of the nation’s most prominent politicians. While he had vociferous critics for some of his views and many of his votes, he gained wide respect on both sides of the Senate aisle.
Although many Democrats challenged the description as inaccurate, he was often called a “maverick” for taking some stands atypical of modern Republicans. Torture was one of those. Weakened by the rapidly spreading glioblastoma that ultimately killed him, McCain made his last appearance in the Senate last December.
But in May, from his Arizona home, he came out in opposition to the Senate confirmation of Gina Haspel, Donald Trump’s choice to replace Mike Pompeo at the Central Intelligence Agency. Haspel had a supervisory role at a CIA black site where suspected terrorists were tortured. McCain’s views on the subject and the health issues he suffered as a result of his own torture spurred him to state:
"Like many Americans, I understand the urgency that drove the decision to resort to so-called enhanced interrogation methods after our country was attacked. I know that those who used enhanced interrogation methods and those who approved them wanted to protect Americans from harm. I appreciate their dilemma and the strain of their duty. But as I have argued many times, the methods we employ to keep our nation safe must be as right and just as the values we aspire to live up to and promote in the world.
"I believe Gina Haspel is a patriot who loves our country and has devoted her professional life to its service and defense. However, Ms. Haspel’s role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge torture’s immorality is disqualifying. I believe the Senate should exercise its duty of advice and consent and reject this nomination."
McCain and Pr*sident Trump clashed publicly repeatedly several times after the 2016 campaign got underway and since the election. The senator at first did not endorse Trump, then endorsed him, then withdrew his endorsement. Displaying his usual pathetic interpersonal skills, Trump during the campaign took a dig at McCain, disputing that he was a war hero and saying that he preferred heroes “who weren’t captured.”
CNN has reported that McCain had asked that both President Barack Obama and President George W. Bush offer eulogies.
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama issued this statement:
McCain blasted Trump for his kiss-up get-together with Russia President Vladimir Putin in July, saying "no prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant”:
“The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate. But it is clear that the summit in Helsinki was a tragic mistake.
“President Trump proved not only unable, but unwilling to stand up to Putin. He and Putin seemed to be speaking from the same script as the president made a conscious choice to defend a tyrant against the fair questions of a free press, and to grant Putin an uncontested platform to spew propaganda and lies to the world."
Under Arizona law, the governor, Republican Doug Ducey, will appoint a replacement to fill McCain’s seat. That person will remain in office until 2020. The governor has remained silent about who that replacement might be, but it won’t be a Democrat.