General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: He's OUR Hero Now [View all]Tom Rinaldo
(22,912 posts)and way too often he was dangerously wrong. But John McCain was still, for reasons both large and small, an American hero. It showed in his personal acts, like refusing to leave his fellow P.O.W's behind in North Vietnam when he was offered his freedom for political reasons. It showed in the political courage and personal magnanimity he demonstrated when he ardently later argued for normalization of relations with Vietnam, supporting Democratic President Bill Clinton in pursuing that policy in the face of a howling Republican gale. It showed in purely private ways like when his wife and he readily adopted an orphaned child from Bangladesh after Cindy met her on a relief mission there. It showed in how he stayed true to his friend Mo Udall when seemingly the entire political world had moved on and forgotten him in his dying days.
John McCain was always, always willing to consider breaking ranks with his party for his country. John McCain was very much a Republican, so far more often than not he backed his party believing that best served the interests of our nation. For that reason I usually vehemently disagreed with John McCain, but I honor the fact that he was capable of searching his own conscience for answers rather than simply relying on party orthodoxy to guide him.
He loved this nation very much and he served his nation to the best of his ability. There are many heroes in America. John McCain may not be my personal hero, but he is very much collectively one of ours.