• SEN. McCAIN PUSHES FOR UNITY IN FINAL LETTER TO AMERICA,
PHOENIX — Sen. John McCain expressed his deep gratitude and love of country in his final letter and implored Americans to put aside “tribal rivalries” and focus on what unites.
“Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here,” McCain wrote in a final statement. “Americans never quit.
We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.”
McCain died Saturday from an aggressive form of brain cancer. He will lie in state Wednesday in the Arizona State Capitol on what would have been his 82nd birthday. A funeral will be conducted Thursday at North Phoenix Baptist Church with former Vice President Joe Biden speaking.
In Washington, McCain will lie in state Friday in the Capitol Rotunda with a formal ceremony and time for the public to pay respects. On Saturday, a procession will pass the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and arrive for a funeral at Washington National Cathedral. Former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama are expected to speak at the service. A private funeral is planned for Sunday afternoon at the Naval Academy Chapel followed by a private burial at the academy cemetery.
President Trump is not expected to attend any of the services.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell paid tribute to John McCain on Monday by recalling their own legislative battles while echoing the late senator’s belief that there’s more that unites than divides Americans.
Speaking from the Senate floor, McConnell said that while McCain served the state of Arizona in Congress, “he was America’s hero all along.”
McConnell and McCain tangled over several issues, including McConnell’s attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which failed on McCain’s surprise “no” vote. McConnell said serving with McCain “was never a dull affair.”
French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted in English that McCain “was a true American hero. He devoted his entire life to his country.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said McCain’s support for the Jewish state “never wavered. It sprang from his belief in democracy and freedom.”
McCain was the son and grandson of admirals and followed them to the U.S. Naval Academy. He was shot down over Vietnam and held as a prisoner of war for more than five years. He went on to win a seat in the House and in 1986, the Senate, where he served for the rest of his life. He lost two bids for the presidency, in 2000 and 2008.