[
[ SILENCE
[ SILENCE ] >> TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A
SEASON AND EVERY PURPOSE UNDER
THE HEAVEN A TIME TO BE BORN
AND A TIME TO DIE.
A TIME TO PLANT AND A TIME TO
PLUCK UP WHICH IS
>>
>> I
>> I WAS
>> I WAS 28 YEARS OLD AND I HAD ONLY BEEN A PUBLIC DEFENDER A
FEW YEARS OUT OF LAW SCHOOL.
FOR SOME REASON JOHN McCAIN
ASKED ME TO BE HIS CHIEF OF
STAFF WHEN HE GOT ELECTED.
SO ON MY FIRST DAY AT 7:00 AM
JOHN McCAIN PICKED ME UP IN MY
HOUSE. I WENT TO THE CAR AND I
SAID DO YOU WANT ME TO DRIVE?
HE SAID I AM GOING TO DRIVE.
I SAID MAYBE I CAN SIT IN THE
BACKSEAT.>> [ LAUGHTER ]
>> I'M NO EXPERT BUT I THOUGHT
THE STAFF DROVE BUT HE SAID GET
IN THE CAR.
FOR THE NEXT HALF HOUR WE
TALKED ABOUT FOOTBALL GAMES
FROM THE DAY BEFORE AND
WHATEVER WAS IN THE NEWS AND
POLITICS AND TOLD A FEW JOKES
AND AT THE SAME TIME IT WAS A
LOT OF FUN AND ALSO QUITE
TERRIFYING BECAUSE OF HIS
RIDICULOUSLY BAD DRIVING.
HE WOULD GET EXCITED AND HE
DROVE LIKE THIS ANYWAY AND THEN
HE WOULD GET EXCITED AND START
DRIFTING OFF.
DRIFTING OFF. LIKE HELLO OVER THERE.
SO WE FINALLY GOT WHERE WE WERE
GOING AND I SAID BY THE WAY
WHAT ARE WE DOING?
HE SAID I HIRED THE STAFF AND I
WANT YOU TO MEET THEM.
I SAID OKAY THAT'S GOOD.
SO WE MET THE STAFF AND WE WENT
BACK TO THE CAR.
WE GOT IN THE CAR AND THE STAFF
CAME OUT AND THEY WERE WAVING.
I SAID THEY SEEM TO BE NICE AND
HE SAID YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO
FIRE HALF OF THEM.
I SAID WHAT ARE YOU TALKING
ABOUT?
ABOUT?
ABOUT? HE
ABOUT? HE JUST SPED OFF AND THE STAFF
WAS WAVING AND ABOUT ONE MINUTE
LATER WE WENT BACK BY BECAUSE
HE WENT THE WRONG WAY OF
COURSE.
COURSE.
COURSE. HE WAVED
I
I JUST
I JUST SAY THAT TWO HOURS EPITOMIZED THE NEXT 35 YEARS
FOR ME WOULD JOHN McCAIN.
ONCE IT WAS HARROWING WILD AND
CRAZY, BUT A LOT OF FUN AND THE
GREATEST HONOR OF MY LIFE.
I HAVE PEOPLE ASK ME ALL THE
TIME DID YOU EVER KNOW IN THE
EARLY YEARS, YOU HAD A FEELING
THERE WAS SOMEONE SO SPECIAL
THERE AND MY ANSWER IS YES,
ABSOLUTELY.
ABSOLUTELY. I WILL TELL YOU THE FIRST TIME
WAS A DECEMBER OVER IN MY
HOMETOWN IN MESA, ARIZONA.
WE WERE AT THE ROTARY CLUB AND
IT WAS ALL MEN AT THAT TIME AND
THESE ARE TOUGH GUYS, CYNICAL
ABOUT THINGS AND THIS IS A NEW
GUY IN TOWN.
ONE OF THEM ASKED SINCE IT WAS
DECEMBER WHAT ABOUT CHRISTMAS
IN PRISON?
IN PRISON? HE TOLD THEM A COUPLE OF
STORIES.
STORIES.
STORIES. HE TOLD THEM WHEN HE WAS BEING
INTERROGATED FOR QUITE A LONG
TIME AND IT DID NOT GO TOO WELL
FOR HIS CAPTORS. THEY WERE
UPSET WITH HIM SO THEY TIED HIM
UP AND THEY TIED THE ROPES TIGHT
AND IT WAS VERY PAINFUL AND
THEY LEFT HIM THERE FOR THE
NIGHT.
NIGHT.
NIGHT. SOME GUARD CAME IN WHO HE DID
NOT KNOW AND NEVER SPOKEN TO.
AT 10:00 PM THE GUARD WALKED IN
AND UN-LOOSENED THE ROPES.
AT 4:00 AM THE GUARD CAME BACK
AND TIGHTENED THEM UP. JOHN DID
NOT KNOW WHY THAT HAPPENED BUT
HE FOUND OUT A LITTLE CLUE A
COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER RIGHT
BEFORE CHRISTMAS WHEN HE WAS
STANDING IN THE DIRT YARD AND
THE GUARD WALKED UP NEXT TO HIM
AND HE DID NOT SAY A WORD BUT
WITH HIS SANDAL, HE DREW A CROSS
IN THE DIRT.
THEY LOOKED AT IT FOR A MINUTE.
AND THEN THE GUARD RUBBED IT OUT
AND WENT ON HIS WAY.
IT WAS QUIET IN THAT ROOM WHEN
JOHN TOLD THAT AND THEN HE SAID
YOU KNOW ON CHRISTMAS EVE WE
CELEBRATED.
CELEBRATED. WE GOT TOGETHER UNDER THIS
LIGHTBULB AND WE WOULD SING
CHRISTMAS CAROLS AND WE QUOTED
BIBLE VERSES WE COULD REMEMBER
AND WE TOLD THE GOSPEL STORY TO
EACH OTHER.
EACH OTHER. I GUESS JUST THAT IMAGE OF THIS
BAND OF BROTHERS TOGETHER IN
THIS GODFORSAKEN PLACE SINGING
TO EACH OTHER AND THERE AT THE
FRONT OUR GUY, JOHN McCAIN.
BEATEN UP BUT NOT DOWN.
SINGING HIS FAVORITE CHRISTMAS
CAROL.
CAROL.
CAROL. SILENT NIGHT.
SILENT NIGHT. HOLY NIGHT.
HOLY NIGHT. ALL IS CALM. ALL IS BRIGHT.
HOLY INFANT SO TENDER AND MILD.
THE WORDS SEEM SO FAR AWAY FROM
THAT PLACE BUT THEY LEANED ON
THE FAITH OF THEIR FATHERS.
THEIR FAITH IN EACH OTHER AND
THEIR FAITH IN THEIR COUNTRY.
AND THEIR FAITH IN GOD.
I LOOKED OUT INTO THE AUDIENCE
IN MY HOMETOWN AND THOSE WERE
SOME OF MY PEERS AND THE PEERS
OF MY PARENTS.
TOUGH INDEPENDENT GUYS,
RANCHERS AND FARMERS, SOME
COWBOYS.
COWBOYS.
COWBOYS. BUSINESSMEN, ENTREPRENEURS AND
THEY WERE CRYING.
THEY SAW IN JOHN McCAIN A
LITTLE BIT OF WHAT THEY HOPED
TO SEE IN THEMSELVES.
THEY SAW IN JOHN McCAIN THE
EMBODIMENT OF VALUES. THEY
HOPED TO SEE FOR THEIR COUNTRY.
OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS AND
YEARS JOHN GOT TO KNOW THIS
PLACE AND HE FELL IN LOVE WITH
ARIZONA.
ARIZONA.
ARIZONA. HE LOVED THE PEOPLE, OUR
DIVERSITY, OUR NATIVE AMERICAN
COMMUNITY, OUR HISPANIC CULTURE
AND HE LOVED THE PLACE.
IN PARTICULAR THE GRAND CANYON.
THE COLORADO RIVER, WE FLOATED
DOWN THAT TWICE TOGETHER AND HE
KEPT GOING BACK.
HE HIKED THE CANYON WITH JACK
NOT LONG AGO.
HE LOVED SEDONA, HE LOVED THIS
PLACE AND OF JOHN McCAIN FELL
IN LOVE WITH ARIZONA, ARIZONA
FELL IN LOVE WITH JOHN McCAIN.
WE RAN A LOT OF RACES HERE, A
LOT OF ELECTIONS, HE NEVER LOST.
NEVER REALLY VERY CLOSE.
ARIZONA LOVED HIM.
WE HAD ONE LITTLE BLIP ONE TIME
WHEN HE RAN FOR THE SENATE THE
FIRST TIME.
FIRST TIME. HE CALLED ME ON THE PHONE AND
HE SAID I THINK I MIGHT HAVE
SCREWED UP.
SCREWED UP. HE SAID I WAS TALKING TO THE
STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY AND
THEY SAID HOW COME YOU ARE THE
ONLY POLITICIAN WHO COMES DOWN
HERE?
HERE?
HERE? YOU
HERE? YOU ONLY GO TO RETIREMENT
PLACES AND HE SAID THAT IS
BECAUSE YOU GUYS DO NOT VOTE.>>
[ LAUGHTER ]
>> OKAY THOSE OTHER DUDES VOTE
100%. YOU WANT PEOPLE TO COME
DOWN YOU NEED TO VOTE LIKE THEY
VOTE AT SEIZURE WORLD.
>> [ LAUGHTER ]
>> I SAID YOU DID NOT SAY THAT
BECAUSE THERE IS A BIG
RETIREMENT COMMUNITY CALLED
LEISURE WORLD IN THE EAST
VALLEY.
VALLEY.
VALLEY. THEY WERE NOT REAL HAPPY WITH
THEIR NEW NICKNAME OUT THERE.
SO JOHN SAID OKAY I SCREWED UP,
LET'S GO.
LET'S GO.
LET'S GO. WE HAVE TO GO OUT THERE.
SO WE WENT OUT AND I REMEMBER
WE DROVE IN AND THERE WAS A 90-
YEAR-OLD MAN IN A GOLF CART
GIVING US THE FINGER.
>> [ LAUGHTER ]
>> LITTLE DID HE KNOW WE BOTH
SAID THAT IS GREAT.
JOHN WAS LIKE HEY, GOOD TO SEE
YOU.
YOU.
YOU. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
SO HE WENT IN AND SAID SORRY
AND WENT TO WORK.
AND GUESS WHAT I THINK HE WON
85 TO 15 IN THAT PRECINCT.
SO WE ARE GOING TO MISS SO MANY
THINGS ABOUT HIM.
HERE IN OUR STATE.
LEADERSHIP ON IMPORTANT ISSUES.
WE WILL MISS HIS SENSE OF HUMOR,
HIS LOVE OF SPORTS.
HE LOVED THE TEAMS.
ALL OF OUR TEAMS.
BY LOVE THEM I MEAN LOVE THEM
NONSTOP AND HE LOVED YOU GUYS.
HE REALLY DID.
NOT A COINCIDENCE.
HE DID NOT BECOME FRIENDS JUST
WITH THE BEST PLAYERS BUT WITH
THE BEST PEOPLE AND HE LOVED
YOU GUYS.
YOU GUYS.
YOU GUYS. BUT I THINK WE ALSO WORRY HERE
IN ARIZONA ABOUT A BIGGER
PICTURE AND I HOPE THAT WHAT HE
STOOD FOR WILL MAYBE GET RENEWED
A RENEWED LOOK IN OUR COUNTRY.
THAT IS WHAT HE WOULD WANT, HE
WOULD WANT US, OKAY WE
RECOGNIZE HIM BUT NOW LET'S GET
TO WORK AND I'M SURE THE VICE
PRESIDENT WILL TALK ABOUT JOHN
AND BIPARTISANSHIP.
AND BIPARTISANSHIP. BUT HE BELIEVED SO MUCH IN THE
END WHEN IT IS DONE REPUBLICAN
AND DEMOCRAT IS NOT IMPORTANT.
WE ARE ALL AMERICANS AND WE HAD
TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE
CAN WORK TOGETHER AS AMERICANS.
IN SUPPORT OF THE MILITARY.
I HOPE YOU MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
WILL KEEP THAT STRONG.
IT WAS SO IMPORTANT THAT HE HAD
THEIR BACKS.
THEIR BACKS. ONE OTHER THING, JOHN McCAIN
BELIEVED IN OUR CONSTITUTION
AND HE STOOD UP AND FOUGHT FOR
IT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
SO HE WOULD NOT STAND BY AS
PEOPLE TRY TO TRAMPLE THE
CONSTITUTION OR THE BILL OF
RIGHTS INCLUDING THE FIRST
AMENDMENT.
AMENDMENT. YOU KNOW WHAT, HE BELIEVED IN
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
WHEN WE PROCLAIMED TO THE WORLD
THAT EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING
IS IMPORTANT, EVERY SINGLE
HUMAN BEING IS PRECIOUS, EVERY
SINGLE PERSON IN THIS WORLD HAS
THE RIGHT TO LIVE FREE.
NOT BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT SAYS
SO BUT BECAUSE GOD GAVE US THAT
RIGHT SO JOHN McCAIN, HIS
ENTIRE LIFE STOOD BY THE
FREEDOM FIGHTERS ACROSS THE
WORLD.
WORLD.
WORLD. HE
WORLD. HE WAS THERE.
HE WAS THERE FIGURATIVELY AND
LITERALLY BY THEIR SIDE
WHEREVER THEY WERE.
ACKNOWLEDGING THEIR RIGHT TO
LIVE FREE.
LIVE FREE. IT IS A LONG AND WINDING ROAD
THAT TOOK HIM FROM THAT DIRT
YARD IN HATTAWAY TO THE DIRT
BACK ROADS OF HIDDEN VALLEY.
THROUGH IT ALL HE WAS RESOLUTE.
HE WAS COURAGEOUS EVERY STEP OF
THE WAY.
THE WAY.
THE WAY. AND IN ARIZONA, HE WAS OUR
HERO.
HERO.
HERO. I
HERO. I THINK YOU CAN SEE FROM THIS
OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT AND LOVE
FOR JOHN McCAIN THAT HE WAS
AMERICA'S HERO.
AMERICA'S HERO. SENATOR JOHN McCAIN FROM ARIZONA
. HE SERVED HIS COUNTRY WITH
HONOR.
HONOR.
HONOR. HE
HONOR. HE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT.
HE FINISHED THE RACE.
HE KEPT THE
NOW,
NOW, MY
NOW, MY FRIEND WE CAN FINISH THE SONG.
THE SONG.
THE SONG. SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE.
SLEEP IN HEAVENLY PEACE.