Meghan McCain’s eulogy was a sad irony

Disappointing. Inappropriate. Ironic. But most of all, sad.

In what should have been a heartfelt speech eulogizing the life of an American war hero, longtime senator, presidential contender, husband, son, and, most important, father, Meghan McCain instead turned the last moments with her father into a vitriolic diatribe against the president of the United States.

And that is truly a shame.

Sure, Ms. McCain offered insight on some personal aspects of John McCain’s life. But they were overshadowed — in other words, they went completely unnoticed — because the only storyline was her “broadside” (as the New York Times pegged it) against Mr. Trump.

True, it was Sen. McCain’s wish that Mr. Trump not be invited to his funeral. But did he really want his daughter to haul off on the president? Wasn’t doing so in contradiction to his oft-repeated calls for civility and bipartisanship? And if so, did Ms. McCain inadvertently do her father a disservice, since instead of promoting unity, she sparked a mini- civil war among many Americans?

John McCain’s calling card was attempting to restore civility and manners to political discourse, yet this eulogy did the opposite.

How can that possibly be construed as a “win” for John McCain’s vision?

Speaking of winning, the fact that Donald Trump was mentioned at all during the funeral means that he “won,” even by default.

Fact is, for good or ill, no other person on earth can dominate the news cycle like Donald Trump. His 24/7 coverage has gotten so out of hand that the president was even able to monopolize the funeral of John McCain — despite not even being there.

And a lesson not yet learned by Trump detractors is that the more he is attacked, especially when unwarranted, the more popular he becomes. Hitting him on issues or behavior is legitimate. But when even the mundane and personal become fodder for harsh criticism, it becomes counter-productive. Americans don’t like it when people are incessantly attacked, and usually rally around the besieged. Time will tell whether Mr. Trump breaks that precedent, but in the meantime, those obsessed with Trump need to step back and get a life.

America was yearning to be buoyed by something meaningful. They wanted to hear something about John McCain that would ignite their passions, instilling in them the aspiration to be part of something greater than themselves.

Meghan McCain could have dazzled and captivated had she simply left politics at the door. She could have generated laughter, imparted camaraderie and evoked tears. And yes, if her speech were a different tone, she could have helped tear down the walls that divide us.

Instead, her remarks widened the gulf, and motivated many to continue the divisiveness that plagues us.

Donald Trump’s behavior after John McCain’s death, from not keeping the flag at half-staff to taking days to talk about the senator, speaks volumes. And while he wasn’t invited, he should have had the common decency — let alone political acumen — to forego golfing during the funeral. He could have “gone high” while being attacked, but instead chose actions that made him appear callous and unempathetic.

America’s growing intolerance constitutes the greatest threat to our national security. If things are to change, the answer is to stop talking, and actually start walking the walk. That means not promoting insane conspiracy theories (such as John McCain being responsible for the USS Forrestal fire); it means not branding a president “traitor” and “Muslim” because you disagree with him; it means not demonizing a president as a bigot because he condemns hatemongers on both sides of a protest; it means not calling those with whom we have divergent views “unpatriotic” and “treasonous;” it means not having celebrities and athletes refer to a president in slanderous, vulgar terms — and be cheered for doing so.

As Michael Douglas’ character said in “The American President:” “We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious people to solve them.”

With Meghan McCain’s charisma and national media platform, she could still be one of those people. But because she politicized a funeral with unwarranted invective, that possibility might have died — at least for now.

And that’s not the legacy John McCain would have wanted.