81 years-old Republican senator from Arizona, John Mccain has decided to discontinue his ongoing treatment for terminal stage brain cancer. This is a poignant moment not only for his family but for everyone who believed in the politics based on ethics and conviction. To say that Mr. John Mccain is an honorable man would be a gross understatement. He's been the epitome of grace and courage under fire, sometimes literally so. In October of 1967, at the height of the Vietnam war, while on a bombing mission over Hanoi, his plane was shot down and he was taken POW by the North Vietnamese. He survived a brutal torture by them until his release in 1973. The physical abuse he suffered as a prisoner-of-war left a debilitating lifelong impact on the body.
Mr. Mccain showed a similar bloody-mindedness and defiant streak when he entered politics and ran for public office. He's been known to be a bit of a maverick in the GOP establishment, which means he would be with them, but not beholden to them. He would judge each issue on its own merit, and not be constrained by the party's agenda. I can never forget how despite being sick, he specifically flew up to the Capitol in Washington DC last year in order to vote on the repeal of the Obama care. Going against the party's stand, he clearly believed that taking away the affordable healthcare from millions of middle-class Americans was an immoral idea. The way senator Mccain dramatically took the floor and after looking around for a few minutes, made a thumbs down gesture at the chair, signifying his vote against the proposal. That was pure theater. It's, of course, another matter that president Trump, in subsequent months, did a lot to undermine the provisions of the act in the name of curbing fiscal profligacy, but he's not been able to repeal the law thanks to that single vote by senator Mccain. I think he should be remembered as someone who made being socially conservative an attractive proposition.
Senator John Mccain is at peace with the inevitable and is preparing to be claimed by the Grim Reaper. One hopes that when the hour does arrive for him to cross over to the other side, he will go away gently and without too much fuss. John Mccain is a true patriot.
Mr. Mccain showed a similar bloody-mindedness and defiant streak when he entered politics and ran for public office. He's been known to be a bit of a maverick in the GOP establishment, which means he would be with them, but not beholden to them. He would judge each issue on its own merit, and not be constrained by the party's agenda. I can never forget how despite being sick, he specifically flew up to the Capitol in Washington DC last year in order to vote on the repeal of the Obama care. Going against the party's stand, he clearly believed that taking away the affordable healthcare from millions of middle-class Americans was an immoral idea. The way senator Mccain dramatically took the floor and after looking around for a few minutes, made a thumbs down gesture at the chair, signifying his vote against the proposal. That was pure theater. It's, of course, another matter that president Trump, in subsequent months, did a lot to undermine the provisions of the act in the name of curbing fiscal profligacy, but he's not been able to repeal the law thanks to that single vote by senator Mccain. I think he should be remembered as someone who made being socially conservative an attractive proposition.
Senator John Mccain is at peace with the inevitable and is preparing to be claimed by the Grim Reaper. One hopes that when the hour does arrive for him to cross over to the other side, he will go away gently and without too much fuss. John Mccain is a true patriot.
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