John McCain's Brain Cancer Diagnosis Shakes Up Washington
The announcement of Sen. John McCain's aggressive brain cancer diagnosis sent shockwaves through usually staid Washington Wednesday evening.
On Capitol Hill, McCain is seen as one of the last remaining titans of a bygone era – one in which lawmakers weren't as afraid to attach their names to bills sponsored by their political opponents, and in which they actively sought out support across the aisle for love of both country and party.
News of McCain's cancer – reportedly discovered while he was having a blood clot removed last week – has left his fellow Republicans expressing reverence for their colleague while still scrambling to rush through a health care bill without any input from their Democratic counterparts. It's not a Senate the John McCain of old would have applauded, but it's one he seems to be embracing, even amid the diagnosis.
"It is tough," an emotional Lindsey Graham, McCain's longtime senatorial partner and close friend, tells Rolling Stone. " talked to John. He said, 'Yeah, I'm going to have to stay here a little bit longer and take some treatments, and I'll be back.' And we talked about five minutes – 'It's going to be a tough way forward, but,' he says, 'I've been through worse' – and basically then we started talking about health care and the [National Defense Authorization Act]. Literally it wasn't five minutes until he turned away from what I think most people would have a hard time absorbing and focused on what he loves best.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/john-mccains-brain-cancer-diagnosis-shakes-up-washington-w493269?utm_source=rsnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=daily&utm_campaign=072017_11
