The 'old lion' passes: Remembering McCain
Both sides laud ‘hero’ U.S. senator, who died Saturday at 81.
Sen. John McCain left a lasting impression on those from both sides of the political aisle, many who described him a day after his death as a man who dedicated his life to serving his country with honor and dignity.
McCain died Saturday following his decision to discontinue treatment for glioblastoma, a deadly brain cancer.
Democrats and Republicans alike Sunday hailed the Republican Arizona senator as an Amer- ican patriot, with Sen. Sherrod
Brown calling him an “American hero” and GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike DeWine saying “our nation is better off because of his service.”
DeWine, who served in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate with McCain, said “John never stopped giving back to the country he loved so dearly. He never chose a path because it was easy; he chose a path because he believed it was right.”
DeWine, who was so close to McCain that the Arizona Republican traversed northeast Ohio in 2006, stumping in traditionally Democratic areas such as Mahoning County to stump for DeWine.
He was greeted enthusiastically in places Republicans traditionally were usually shunned.
“The McCain family has lost their patriarch, Arizona has lost a longtime public servant, and America has lost a hero,” DeWine said.
Brown, D-Ohio, who defeated DeWine in the 2006 election, said McCain “embodied our nation’s most cherished values: service and sacrifice. He was a leader to senators from both parties, a touchstone on foreign and domestic issues.”
“Just as importantly, he made no secret of his love for his wife, Cindy, and his family,” Brown said. “Connie and I are thinking of them now. May their memories of this great man sustain them.”
Brown’s opponent in the fall election, Senate Republican candidate Jim Renacci, called McCain “a true American hero who served his country, first in uniform and later in Congress.”
The reaction from DeWine and Brown typified that of lawmakers from both parties whom McCain had made a point of working with on issues ranging from overhauling the campaign finance system to trying to prevent U.S. officials from relying on what McCain considered torture against suspected terrorists.
President Trump said via Twitter: “My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!”
Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, whom McCain considered as a vice presidential possibility in 2008, said McCain was “a true patriot who lived the motto of his 2008 campaign: Country First. Always.”
Portman said McCain “was also a friend and someone I looked to for counsel. In the Senate, we relied on his expertise on national security issues, were inspired by his life’s story, and charmed by his sense of humor. He was a lion of the Senate, and the place will not be the same place without him.”
Ohio Gov. John Kasich said of the late senator that “few have served our country so well or so long,” while John Weaver, a longtime McCain adviser who now is advising Kasich tweeted: “The old lion roars in Heaven.”
In a statement, former President George W. Bush called McCain “a man of deep conviction.”
“He was a public servant in the finest traditions of our country. And to me, he was a friend whom I’ll deeply miss,” Bush’s statement read. “Laura I send our heartfelt sympathies to Cindy and the entire McCain family, and our thanks to God for the life of John McCain.”
Cindy, his wife of 38 years, tweeted: “My heart is broken. I am so lucky to have lived the adventure of loving this incredible man for 38 years. He passed the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved, in the place he loved best.”
His daughter Meghan posted a heartfelt tribute to her father on social media: “He was a great fire who burned bright, and we lived in his light and warmth for so very long,” she said. “We know that his flame lives on, in each of us,” adding, “I love you forever — my beloved father.”
McCain entered politics in 1982 when he was elected to the House of Representatives. He became a senator in 1986 and became a stalwart of conservatism.
He was unsuccessful when he sought the Republican nomination for president in 2000. He got the nomination in 2008 but lost to Barack Obama.
McCain made the announcement that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would be his running mate in the race against then-U.S. Sens. Obama and Joe Biden at Wright State’s Nutter Center on Aug. 29, 2008.
Palin addressed her late running mate’s death in a tweet: “John McCain was my friend. I will remember the good times. My family and I send prayers for Cindy and the McCain family.”
Prior to the announcement of Palin as his running mate, McCain made two appearances in the Miami Valley that energized the Republican party.
He stopped in Wilmington to speak in a private meeting with a group of local community leaders trying to save about 8,000 jobs at the former DHL’s Wilmington air freight hub, which eventually closed.
Prior to that, his campaign tour bus, called the “Straight Talk Express,” a term he used to capitalize on his reputation for independence, made a stop at Young’s Jersey Dairy.
While at Young’s for his approximate 15-minute-stump speech, he addressed more than 500 supporters and discussed winning the Iraq war and better health care for veterans, while ordering an eggnog milkshake.
Later that afternoon, McCain stopped at Sinclair Community College in Dayton for a private event.
McCain endured five years in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp, and served for more than 30 years in the U.S. Senate.
The six-term Republican senator from Arizona was referred to as a maverick for his inclination to, at times, buck his party’s line. McCain served the country for nearly 60 years, including a more than 20-year career in the U.S. Navy.
As a young Navy flyer, McCain’s plane was shot down during a 1967 bombing mission over North Vietnam.
He was captured and became a prisoner of war in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison camp.