>>>4@
>>>4@ CINDY McCAIN AND FAMILY I AM HONORED TO BE WITH YOU TO
OFFER MY SYMPATHIES AND TO
CELEBRATE A GREAT LIFE. 4@
THE NATION JOINS YOUR
EXTRAORDINARY FAMILY IN GRIEF 4@
AND GRATITUDE FOR 4@JOHN McCAIN
SOME LIVES ARE SO VIVID4@ AND I
IS DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THEM
HAVING ENDED.
HAVING ENDED. SOME VOICES ARE SO VIBRANT 4@AN
DISTINCTIVE IT IS HARD TO THINK
OF 4@THEM STILL. A MAN WHO SELD
RESTED IS LAID TO REST.4@
HIS ABSENCE IS TANGIBLE LIKE
THE SILENCE AFTER A MIGHTY ROAR@
THE THING ABOUT JOHN'S LIFE WAS
THE AMAZING SWEEP OF IT.
FROM A TINY PRISON CELL 4@IN
VIETNAM TO 4@THE FLOOR OF THE
UNITED STATES SENATE.4@
FROM TROUBLEMAKING PLEASE TO
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE4@.
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE4@. WHEREVER JOHN PASSED THROUGHOUT
THE WORLD PEOPLE KNEW4@ THERE W
A LEADER IN THEIR MIDST.
ONE EPIC LIFE4@ WAS WRITTEN
ENCOURAGE AND GREATNESS OF OUR
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. FOR JOHN AND ME THERE WAS A
PERSONAL JOURNEY.4@
PERSONAL JOURNEY.4@ OUR HARD-FOUGHT POLITICAL
HISTORY. BACK IN THE DAY HE
COULD FRUSTRATE ME4@. I KNOW HE
WOULD SAY THE 4@SAME THING ABOU
ME.
ME.
ME. HE
ME. HE ALSO MADE ME BETTER. IN
RECENT YEARS4@ WE SOMETIMES WOU
TALK ABOUT THAT INTENSE PERIOD
LIKE FOOTBALL PLAYERS
REMEMBERING A BIG GAME.4@
IN THE PROCESS RIVALRY MELTED
AWAY4@. IN THE END I GOT TO ENJ
ONE OF LIFE'S GREAT GIFTS, THE
FRIENDSHIP OF JOHN McCAIN AND I
WILL MISS HIM4@.4@
MOMENTS BEFORE MY LAST DEBATE
EVER WITH4@ SENATOR JOHN KERRY
PHOENIX I WAS TRYING TO GATHER
SOME THOUGHTS IN THE HOLDING
ROOM.
ROOM.
ROOM. I
ROOM. I FELT A PRESENCE, OPENED MY
EYES AND4@ SIX INCHES FROM MY
FACE WAS JOHN McCAIN WHO
YELLED, RELAX RELAX!4@
JOHN WAS ABOVE ALL4@4@, A MAN W
A CODE.
A CODE.
A CODE. HE LIVED BY A SET OF 4@PUBLIC
VIRTUES THAT BROUGHT STRENGTH
AND PURPOSE TO HIS COUNTRY.
HE WAS COURAGEOUS WITH A
COURAGE THAT BRIGHTENED HIS
STAFFERS4@ AND COUNTRYMEN.
HE WAS HONEST4@ NO MATTER WHO 4
OFFENDED.
OFFENDED.
OFFENDED. PRESIDENTS WERE NOT SPARED.4@
HE WAS HONORABLE AND ALWAYS
RECOGNIZING4@ HIS OPPONENTS WER
STILL PATRIOTS AND 4@HUMAN
BEINGS.
BEINGS.
BEINGS. HE LOVED FREEDOM WITH A PASSION
OF A MAN THAT NEW ITS 4@ABSENCE
HE RESPECTED THE DIGNITY4@
INHERENT IN EVERY LIFE AND A
DIGNITY THAT DOES NOT STOP WITH
INHERENT IN EVERY LIFE AND A DIGNITY THAT DOES NOT STOP WITH@
BORDERS AND CANNOT BE 4@ERASED
DICTATORS.
DICTATORS. PERHAPS ABOVE ALL HE TESTED THE
ABUSE OF POWER4@. THERE WAS
SOMETHING DEEP INSIDE HIM THAT
MADE HIM STAND UP FOR THE
LITTLE GUY.
LITTLE GUY. HE SPOKE FOR FORGOTTEN PEOPLE
IN FORGOTTEN PLACES.4@
ONE FRIEND FROM HIS NAVAL
ACADEMY RECALLS HOW JOHN MADE A
LOWLY PLEA4@ REACTING TO SEEING
UPPERCLASSMAN VERBALLY ASSAULT
A STEWARD.
A STEWARD. HE TOLD THE JERK TO PICK ON
SOMEONE HIS 4@OWN SIZE.
IT WAS A FAMILIAR REFRAIN
DURING HIS SI4@X DECADES 4@OF
SERVICE.4@4@
SERVICE.4@4@ WHERE DOES SUCH STRENGTH AND
CONVICTION COME FROM?
PERHAPS A FAMILY WHERE HONOR
WAS IN THE ATMOSPHERE, OR FROM
THE FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE OF
CRUELTY4@ THAT LEFT PHYSICAL
REMINDERS THAT LASTED HIS WHOLE
LIFE.
LIFE.
LIFE. OR
LIFE. OR FROM SOME DEEP-SEATED MORAL
PR4@INCIPLE4@, WHATEVER THE CAU
IT WAS THIS COMBINATION OF
COURAGE AND DECENCY THAT
DEFINED HIS CALLING AND SO
CLOSELY PARALLELED THE CALLING
OF HIS COUNTRY.4@
IT IS THIS COMBINATION OF
COURAGE AND DECENCY THAT MAKES
THE AMERICAN MILITARY NOTHING
NEW IN HISTORY AND AN UNRIVALED
POWER FOR THE GOOD.
IT IS THIS COMBINATION 4@THAT H
SET AMERICA ON A JOURNEY TO 4@T
WORLD.
WORLD.
WORLD. TO
WORLD. TO LIBERATE DEATH CAMPS, TO
STAND GUARD AGAINST EXTREMISM4@
AND TO WORK FOR THE TRUE PEACE
THAT COMES ONLY WITH FREEDOM.
JOHN FELT THESE COMMITMENTS IN
HIS BONES AND IT IS A TRIBUTE
TO HIS MORAL COMPASS 4@[
INAUDIBLE-STATIC]
INAUDIBLE-STATIC] RUSSIA TO NORTH KOREA 4@TO CHIN
KNEW HE WAS ON THEIR SIDE. 4@I
THINK THEIR RESPECT MEANT MORE @
TO HIM THAN ANY METALS OF HONOR
THINK THEIR RESPECT MEANT MORE @ TO HIM THAN ANY METALS OF HONOR@
COULD BRING.4@
COULD BRING.4@ HIS COMPASSION EXTENDED TO OUR
OWN MILITARY.
OWN MILITARY. WHEN SOMEONE WAS OVERWORKED OR
IN TERRIBLE CONDITIONS JOHN
ENJOYED NOTHING MORE THAN
DRESSING DOWN AN ADMIRAL OR
GENERAL. 4@
GENERAL. 4@ HE REMANDED4@ TO THE END.
THOSE IN POLITICAL POWER [
INAUDIBLE-STATIC]
INAUDIBLE-STATIC] AT VARIOUS POINTS THROUGHOUT
HIS LONG CA4@REER JOHN CONFRONT
POLICIES AND PRACTICES HE
BELIEVED WERE UNWORTHY OF HIS
COUNTRY.4@
COUNTRY.4@ TO THE FACE OF THOSE IN 4@
AUTHORITY JOHN McCAIN WOULD
INSIST WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS.
AMERICA IS BETTER THAN THIS.4@
JOHN WOULD BE THE FIRST TO TELL
YOU HE WAS NOT A PERFECT MAN 4@
BUT HE DEDICATED HIS LIFE TO
THE NATIONAL IDEAS THAT ARE AS
PERFECT AS MEN AND WOMEN HAD
YET CONCEIVED.4@
YET CONCEIVED.4@ HE WAS MOTIVATED BY A VISION OF
AMERICA CARRIED FORWARD 4@EVER
UPWARD ON THE STRENGTH OF ITS
PRINCIPLES. HE SAW A COUNTRY
NOT ONLY 4@AS A PHYSICAL PLACE
POWER BUT AS THE CARRIER OF
ENDURING HUMAN ASPIRATIONS4@. A
AN ADVOCATE FOR THE OPPRESSED,
AS A DEFENDER OF PEACE, AS A
PROMISE UNWAVERING, UNEQUAL4@.
THE ST4@RENGTH OF A DEMOCRACY I
REMOVED -- RENEWED4@ BY
REAFFIRMING THE PRINCIPLES ON
WHICH IT WAS FOUNDED.
AMERICA HAS ALWAYS FOUND
LEADERS WHO WERE UP TO THAT
TASK PARTICULARLY THE TIME OF
GREATEST NEED. JOHN WAS BORN4@
MEET THAT KIND OF CHALLENGE4@,
DEFEND AND DEMONSTRATE THE
DEFINING IDEALS OF 4@OUR NATION
IF WE ARE EVER TEMPTED TO
FORGET WHO WE 4@ARE TAUGHT TO
GROW WEARY OF OUR CAUSE JOHN'S
VOICE WILL ALWAYS COME AS A
WHISPER OVER OUR SHOULDER.
WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS.
AMERICA IS BETTER THAN THIS.4@
JOHN WITH A 4@RESTLESS SOUL.4@
HE DID NOT GLORY IN SUCCESS OR
WALLOW IN FAILURE BECAUSE HE
WAS ALWAYS ONTO THE NEXT THING.
FRIENDS SAID HE CAN'T STAY IN
THE SAME EXPERIENCE. ONE OF HIS
BOOKS AND DID WITH THE WORDS,
AND I 4@MOVED ON.
JOHN HAS MOVED ON. 4@
HE WOULD PROBABLY NOT WANT 4@US
TO DWELL ON HIM BUT WE ARE
BETTER FOR HIS PR4@ESENCE AMONG
US.
US.
US. THE
US. THE WORLD IS SMALLER FOR HIS
DEPA4@RTURE AND 4@WE WILL REMEM
HIM AS HE WAS, UNWAVERING 4@AND