American patriot, true statesman

The first time I met John McCain, we were in the cabinet room of the White House in 1993. He was beginning his second term in the Senate, and I was serving as chief of staff to my friend and fellow Arkansan President Bill Clinton.

My task was to persuade the staunchly conservative lawmaker to support a Democratic president’s economic plan. We both acknowledged this was a tall order, and in the end Senator McCain opposed President Clinton’s bill. But it was easy to see why the two Democratic senators from Arkansas, David Pryor and Dale Bumpers, spoke so highly of him.

I never got the sense that John McCain treated our meeting as a formality or photo op. He listened carefully to the arguments, considered the facts alongside his deeply held principles and opinions, and made the decision he felt was right. I liked him immediately. We left the meeting expressing our shared hope that an area of common ground—an opportunity to work together—would soon present itself.

That was John McCain. He was a savvy politician. He had a driving ambition and yes, on occasion, a strong temper. He was a loyal and lifelong member of the Republican Party. But above all else, he was a patriot and a man of courage.

While piloting a dive bomber, McCain was shot down, forced to eject from the cockpit, and captured by enemy troops. For the next 5 ½ years, he was subjected to horrific abuse. When McCain was offered better treatment provided he would agree to be used in propaganda videos, he refused. Even more admirable, he turned down early release, demanding that American troops captured before him be released before him.

And as a lawmaker, McCain displayed that same fortitude again and again. He was willing to make difficult decisions—even ones opposed by his voters—because he cared more about being right than being popular.

One of his last major acts as a United States senator was to scuttle a 2017 health-care repeal effort, one strongly supported by his fellow Republican senators, because he did not believe a rushed and opaque process was the way to craft a major new law.

Senator McCain was a man of decency. I was fortunate enough to experience his graciousness several times. The last time I saw him, we were both speaking at an event at the Wilson Center, a Washington, D.C., organization devoted to foreign policy. While we knew each other reasonably well, we were not close friends. Yet he made a point of including me in his comments and thanking me for my time in public service, a gesture that went far above and beyond what was required.

Americans saw this side of John McCain not just at small policy-focused events, but on the national stage as well. At a town hall during his 2008 presidential campaign, an audience member yelled that then-Senator Obama was a “terrorist.” Senator McCain politely but firmly rejected this kind of fearmongering. “He’s a decent family man [and] citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues,” he told the audience. Indulging conspiracy theories might have made it easier to win over an angry crowd, but Senator McCain refused to engage in such tactics.

Senator McCain believed in public service. He contested many elections throughout his career and won most of them. But he always understood that a politician’s ultimate goal cannot simply be to win more terms. Political leaders must aspire to get things done on behalf of the people they represent. Perhaps this is why, after a tough loss in 2008, McCain returned to the Senate and redoubled his efforts as a legislator. Instead of fading into obscurity, he spent his final decade as one of America’s most influential lawmakers.

In his later years, even as partisan gridlock worsened, he continued to hope that common ground would emerge. And in our case, the chance to work together presented itself not long after our first encounter. I was lucky enough to count Senator McCain as an ally when President Clinton passed NAFTA, and later when we created Plan Colombia to help bring peace and stability to the region. I didn’t agree with all of Senator McCain’s foreign policy positions. But I could always admire his firm determination that the United States not shy away from international affairs, and that it remain a beacon of hope and freedom in an increasingly complex world.

Nearly half a century ago, looking back on those years in brutal captivity, John McCain said this: “I had a lot of time to think over there, and came to the conclusion that one of the most important things in life—along with a man’s family—is to make some contribution to his country.”

In his 81 years, John McCain made enormous contributions to his country. He will be remembered for the example he set. He was the kind of American—the kind of person—we can all aspire to be.

Today, as we ponder a senator’s legacy and grapple with this current moment in our history, we are left to wonder: Was John McCain among the last of a vanishing breed? For the sake of our country, I certainly hope not. Instead, we must learn from his example before it is too late.

Mack McLarty served in the Clinton Administration as White House Chief of Staff, Counselor to the President and Special Envoy for the Americas. McLarty is Chairman of McLarty Companies, a family transportation business, and McLarty Associates, an international strategic advisory firm.