14 ms·

John McCain has died

628 points by aaronbrethorst 8y ago

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
wpasc 8y ago
May he rest in peace. Being tortured and refusing to leave before other americans from prison camp alone makes him a hero.
- anothergoogler 8y ago
  It says something about the state of US politics that the sitting president unapologetically denigrated McCain's service and sacrifice. And did it on the campaign trail, just eight years after McCain was the nominee! Washington Post had something about it yesterday https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bad-blood-between-mccain-and-trump-lingers-even-as-the-arizona-republican-nears-the-end/2018/08/24/923bc0e2-a7b6-11e8-a656-943eefab5daf_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bad-blood-between-mc...
BoysenberryPi 8y ago
John McCain did somethings that I disagree with but the one thing I will always remember is when during the 2008 election there were multiple times during town halls and rallies that people would verbally attack Obama and McCain always shut them down without fail.
- khuey 8y ago
  Unfortunately his party did not follow his example and instead went all in on the nutjobs.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- justinsaccount 8y ago
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk
- chx 8y ago
  His concession speech: > I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited. > It's natural, tonight, to feel some disappointment. But tomorrow, we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again. If I might add, ten years later: it seems "the necessary compromises to bridge our differences" were not found.
  - AdmiralAsshat 8y ago
    Of course he also said if Hillary won that he would refuse to confirm Garland for the entirety of her presidency...
    - krferriter 8y ago
      I mean that's due to a disagreement in politics. He wasn't calling her a demonic satan-worshipping child trafficker like some on that side of the spectrum were.
      - snuxoll 8y ago
        Certainly, but that doesn't make it okay. In general things weren't rosy with his political career, his reputation for being a "maverick" that would buck party leadership was laughable since he ended up toeing the party line more often that not, even when he decided to speak out against {X} idiotic move they made he would still put a "Yea" in for the vote. With that said I think he genuinely wanted what was best for the country, even if we never saw eye to eye on what "best" actually was.
    - greglindahl 8y ago
      Yep. There's good and bad in there. When people die, it's usual to recall the good more than the bad.
    - deleted 8y ago
- dominotw 8y ago
  I've wondered about this for a long time. Can you be a republican and be considered virtuous. Not sure why my comment was downvoted, I am not suggesting that this is that case, just asking why its not case. I am not an American but the way I understood American politics is that Republican values are believing that you are successful because you worked hard while democrats are that you are merely a product of the zeitgeist. All the policies of each 'side' can be extrapolated from that basic tenet. For example, if you are a republican you favor slashing funding for social programs(eg: McCain's bill to slash funding for military medical research funding, slash funding to amtrak ). can you still be considered virtuous if you are republican?
- mehrdadn 8y ago
  I've found 1 clip so far [1]; would you happen to have more? I'd love to be able to refer back to these in the future. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk
  - pjscott 8y ago
    Well shit. I wasn't going to celebrate John McCain's funeral, but now I almost have to, after all he did to keep my country peaceful. I'll look him up, and be humbler in judgement from here on out. God damn it. :-(
    - deleted 8y ago
      [deleted]
    - Markoff 8y ago
      it's celebrate the right for this in English? it sounds to me like you would be happy he has funeral, there must be better word than "celebrate", isn't?
      - lgregg 8y ago
        Celebrate is the right word Ie Celebrate his life
      - DoreenMichele 8y ago
        We often celebrate a person's life and accomplishments upon their passing. The exact phrasing of the above is a little odd, but celebrate can be the right expression here without necessarily meaning "I'm so glad they died."
- ikeyany 8y ago
  He was truly one of our last great Republican leaders.
  - eclectic 8y ago
    Romney was also great at losing to Democrats.
- 27182818284 8y ago
  He tried to do the right thing. Sometimes it came out a bit awkward like the infamous "He is a decent human being" comment, but his heart was in the right place https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk
- emmelaich 8y ago
  McCain was an honorable man. But not the only one. Guess who said these words: > It will be a stirring sight to watch President Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their beautiful girls step through the doors of the White House. I know millions of Americans will be overcome with pride at this inspiring moment that so many have awaited so long.
  - leonroy 8y ago
    George W. Bush for those googling.
0d 8y ago
One of these criminals who destroyed the middle East and many other countries.. he took nothing with him. No one is going to take anything with.. so better we do good.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- jayess 8y ago
  He never missed a chance to shill for war.
ransom1538 8y ago
"McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and followed his father and grandfather—both four-star admirals—into the U.S. Navy. He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he was almost killed in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. While McCain was on a bombing mission over Hanoi in October 1967, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer. The wounds that he sustained during war have left him with lifelong physical disabilities. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he entered politics. In 1982, McCain was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms. He entered the U.S. Senate in 1987 and easily won reelection five times, most recently in 2016. " Well, I just finished a cool CRUD app.
- anoncoward111 8y ago
  And you probably were paid more!
- mod 8y ago
  > McCain experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer I'm not sure I can imagine how difficult that would be in practice, though it's nice to think you could do it in theory. I'm dealing with some family members not doing the right thing recently by not respecting the final wishes of their own mother. With that on my mind, it makes for such a stark contrast.
- Gustomaximus 8y ago
  > and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer Thats serious integrity and loyalty.
- aerovistae 8y ago
  I dislike this mentality and wish to dissent. I feel bad about playing video games sometimes and have to remind myself of the photograph called Hubble Deep Field. Look it up if you haven’t seen it before. Do what you want to and don’t stop yourself from enjoying it by comparing your life to some famous person or some blogger. It’s easy to feel bad when you read a biography of Augustus....why aim low and settle for comparing to McCain? If you want to attempt great things, go for it, but don’t start thinking a comfortable and peaceful life (which is the only thing so many people throughout history yearned for and were denied) is “not enough.”
jerx 8y ago
not a big fan of mccain's, appreciated his service to the us during the vietnam war and senate, and pity to see him go out that way lately.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
b_b 8y ago
Here goes sadly one of the last remaining examples of a respectful and dignified politician, no matter the political party of the other.
- smallstepforman 8y ago
  Respectful? He was evil reincarnate, deep in the MIC pockets, with vile hatred towards anyone who dared oppose PaxAmericana. May he burn in hell.
- paulcole 8y ago
  Which political party was his wife? https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/07/report-mccains-profane-ti_n_95429.html https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/07/report-mccains-pro...
- colordrops 8y ago
  He was a war hawk who regularly advocated for murdering foreigners. I am sad for anyone's passing, but I don't find McCain worthy of special honor.
Someone1234 8y ago
I admire people who put country ahead of party. Therefore I admired John McCain, even when I disagreed with him, I never questioned his motives. Good guy, who served with honor. Will be missed.
anonu 8y ago
Just a reminder that Republican vs Democrat doesn't ultimately matter. I think McCain embodied that belief through his long years of service to the USA, his willingness to reach across the aisle and through his values and ideals (integrity, respect, honesty) from which he did not waver.
- lisper 8y ago
  > Republican vs Democrat doesn't ultimately matter It shouldn't matter. But unfortunately, all too often, it does.
- JustSomeNobody 8y ago
  > Just a reminder that Republican vs Democrat doesn't ultimately matter. Sadly, all too many voters (and politicians) treat it like a football game.
  - dqpb 8y ago
    Sports, Religion, Politics
- DoofusOfDeath 8y ago
  Could you explain your opening statement a little? The way I'm interpreting it implies that the platform differences between those parties isn't really important in any way.
  - anonu 8y ago
    I mean a few things. For the most part I'm being a bit fatalist: we are all going to die and we are all going to end up in the same place. So the journey through our lives should be one where we embrace other people's differences instead of rail against them. McCain, to me, seemed to embody values that showed a willingness to work with people who shared different views. He put his nation before himself. That's partly what I was alluding to..
  - sidlls 8y ago
    The platforms don't make any difference. What matters is whether the political leaders follow them, and for Dems at least they mostly just act like Republicans but are really sorry about it.
davrosthedalek 8y ago
The world lost a true statesman. What a sad day.
- ruskerdax 8y ago
  Yeah, if hackers are known for anything, it's being big fans of statesmen, especially ones that approved the PATRIOT Act (twice), extending its wiretapping provisions, and sponsoring a bill that would let the US government detain anyone in the world indefinitely without trial. Truly a sad day.
  - davrosthedalek 8y ago
    So you are saying it's a happy day?
  - oh_sigh 8y ago
    OP isn't a true hacker unless he dances on McCain's grave
  - rpiguy 8y ago
    Agree Hacker News really isn’t an appropriate name for this forum anymore, but that is a topic that deserves its own thread. On topic, loss is sad when anyone dies, even if they hold views you find abhorent. They leave behind friends and family and remind us of our own mortality and the one thing we all have in common (finite existence).
    - ruskerdax 8y ago
      Ascribe whatever personal significance to the death of a famous person you wish. McCain's "views" and career as a statesman have little relevance to hackers and hacking except where he personally acted in ways which affect hackers and technology they use. This is the basis on which I commented.
  - hluska 8y ago
    This is a very weak, thoroughly tasteless comment.
forkLding 8y ago
RIP McCain
lerxst 8y ago
John McCain was a true American hero, dedicating his life to the United States. I did not always agree with him, but he will truly be missed, especially during the current political climate. May he rest in peace.
oopsman88 8y ago
It does not surprise me to see HN treating McCain as a hero, when he was pretty much the definition of "cuckservative" (a word I deeply hate, but fits here)
dopeboy 8y ago
I got to live in Iowa in the summer of 2007 for an engineering internship at Rockwell Collins. One bonus of that was getting to go to all the rallies. I went to a McCain rally and an Obama rally. I remember the energy of the room when Obama came in. The crowd was young and loud. Obama got up and gave his usual stump speech and then went around to shake hands. I shook his hand and got a word or two in but I could tell he wasn't really interested in talking to me and moved on. I went to a McCain rally a couple weeks later. A much older crowd and a little more subdued. This was around the time MoveOn was criticizing General Petraeus over his surge in Iraq policy. McCain was upset about this so the mood at the venue, which was a VFW, was a little more bitter. McCain gave a speech which was different than Obama's, a little more off-the-cuff and a little more angry. I remember him talking with the audience rather than to the audience like Obama. Afterwards, he shook hands with everyone and paused for a conversation. I remember talking to him about STEM programs and the importance of producing more engineers here in the U.S. He looked me in the eyes the whole time, was genuinely curious about my background, and wished me good luck at the end [0]. I ended up voting and working for Obama but I'll never forget that day and how genuine and down-to-earth McCain was with me. [0] - https://twitter.com/manishsinhaha/status/1033516157343387648 https://twitter.com/manishsinhaha/status/1033516157343387648
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- gbacon 8y ago
  McCain might have beaten Hillary, but when Obama locked up the drawn out Democratic nomination, the race was over for the reasons you described.
  - secfirstmd 8y ago
    Also making the ridiculous decision (which says a lot about his judgement) to run with Sarah Palin as his VP.
    - darkerside 8y ago
liquidise 8y ago
America lost a publicly principled man today. RIP sir. As a related meta-analysis of the response to his passing, i am surprised how many comments here include disclaimers to the appreciation offered. "I didn't agree with him but...". Have we become this partisan as a people? Our semi-anonymous respects for the passing of a prominent figure must be disclaimer-ed with political editorials. A worrying trend.
- untog 8y ago
  > Our semi-anonymous respects for the passing of a prominent figure must be disclaimer-ed with political editorials. I mean, he was a politician. And I don't think people are saying that to disclaim their appreciation at all, they're saying it to underline the fact that their appreciation exists despite a deep disagreement with his politics.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
- gbacon 8y ago
  Because admitting political sympathies other than progressive around here draws harsh responses from the HN hivemind.
  - eclectic 8y ago
    Bingo!
- dnomad 8y ago
  Perhaps the strangest aspect of American politics is the total lack of accountability. You really don't see this sort of blind loyalty outside of third world banana regimes. Here you have a guy who is self-admittedly responsible for the destruction of half a million mostly innocent human beings [1], a key architect of the greatest crime of the 21st century that led directly to the scourge of ISIS and the destruction of Syria, and it's like -- "He was an American hero! Don't dare criticize him!" The only actual anger towards McCain comes from Trump extremists. And this is the interesting bit: accountability is supposed to be a key aspect of democracy but you can literally push your country into a totally unnecessary and that's A-OK. You'll only be criticized if you deviate from the party's leader. And while McCain may have eventually admitted Iraq was a mistake it did nothing to lessen his efforts to bomb brown people. He was a key supporter of Saudi Arabia's carpet bombing of Yemen [2] which is now literally blowing up school buses of children. I guess you don't even have to learn from your mistakes. [1] https://www.vox.com/2018/5/25/17394466/john-mccain-memoir-iraq-war-mistake https://www.vox.com/2018/5/25/17394466/john-mccain-memoir-ir... [2] http://observer.com/2017/06/democrats-trump-administration-arms-sale-saudi-arabia-yemen/ http://observer.com/2017/06/democrats-trump-administration-a...
andrewclunn 8y ago
Looking at these comments I believe I now believe that the "second civil war" nuts may not be nuts after all.
ahurmazda 8y ago
"Asked how he wanted to be remembered, McCain said: 'He served his country, and not always right—made a lot of mistakes, made a lot of errors—but served his country, and, I hope we could add, honorably.'" Last part always gets me. It takes a lot of humility to accept mistakes. RIP an honorable man
leolll 8y ago
"Bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb Iran" -McCain That's what I remember him for. He later said he was just joking. As if joking about killing thousands of people is somehow better.
- ericd 8y ago
  I mean, that's pretty obviously a joke, even with no context. It's a riff on the lyrics to a Beach Boys song.
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - Jach 8y ago
    McCain himself points that out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg I remember him for that one but also for advocating the permanent military presence, like South Korea, going forward in Iraq. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf7HYoh9YMM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf7HYoh9YMM I'm somewhat surprised that HN seems to have such a hardon for the man, and every negative comment is being downvoted / flagged. I remember pretty clearly how Obama-obsessed the tech world was in 2008, and even Family Guy did a "we're not saying he's a nazi but nazis support him" routine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRHL5QlwA-g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRHL5QlwA-g What happened to make the HN crowd change their opinion (did McCain fight back against software patents at some point despite being a self-admitted computer illiterate?), or was it always glowing and the subject just didn't come up?
    - tntn 8y ago
      > What happened He died, and most people tend to talk only about good stuff out of respect immediately afterward. You don't see people getting up and criticizing the deceased at funerals.
tzs 8y ago
The comment section on the story about this on Foxnew.com [1] is eye-opening. At the moment it is about 1/3 celebrating his death and complaining that he was really a RINO or closet liberal, 1/3 not commenting on his death but complaining about the RINO/closet liberal stuff, and 1/3 expressing sorrow at his death. [1] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/25/john-mccain-dead-at-81.html http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/25/john-mccain-dead-... Addendum: the comments section seems to have been removed from that story.
- cabaalis 8y ago
  Midterm elections are near. The astroturfing is strong. You should believe less than 1/3 of the comments you read are actually genuine.
  - davrosthedalek 8y ago
    I hope you are right. I had the chance to read some of it before it was removed. Atrocious.
- gbacon 8y ago
  Revolting cheers at Scalia’s death were similar. Any hint at possibly gaining control of The Precious brings out the very worst in people. Hivemind N.B.: I had strong disagreements with both Scalia and McCain. Don’t taze me, bro!
  - AdamM12 8y ago
    People have seemed to formed this evil caricature of Scalia that I really don't understand. Guy truly loved the law and loved teaching it. My understanding is that is why his opinions were so verbose. Also guy was always expansive on 4th Amendment which I'm, and likely a lot of people on here, a big fan of.
- danso 8y ago
  I wouldn't judge too much from a comments section. Seems like those attract the worst of the Internet, no matter what the subject.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
root_axis 8y ago
He was a complicated guy. I wish his family well.
hirundo 8y ago
John McCain, a hero of a lost war, a senator whose signature law was overturned, a contender in a lost presidential race. For all of his integrity, accomplishment and hard work his life's efforts were largely futile. Except for his family. A more fitting epitaph may be: John McCain, Father, Husband, Son. And that's not bad at all.
- unit91 8y ago
  > his life's efforts were largely futile Tell that to the guys he provided close air support for. I've been on the ground when it comes down. Years later I'm still thankful and it brings tears to my eyes.
  - hirundo 8y ago
    Agreed. I was searching for a word to use in the epitaph to represent that, maybe Wingman or Comrade.
- j7ake 8y ago
  I disagree. His integrity, accomplishment, and hard work in his life has inspired many others to follow a principled life. He is a role model for the new generation.
AdamM12 8y ago
Wish I wasn't so young when he ran against Obama in '08. Paid no attention and missed my opportunity to vote for him. Ran a really respectful campaign. HBO doc on him was really good too. Nasty stuff about his adopted (Bangledeshi) daughter when he ran against Bush. Just an amazing guy.
beltex 8y ago
May he rest in peace. Glioblastoma is particularly awful, even in the realm of cancer. Two books I found quite interesting on neurosurgery and cancer as a whole. Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh and The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee
mynameishere 8y ago
I'll always feel a little bad for guys who get stuck with the bound-to-lose candidacies. From Adlai Stevenson to Bob Dole to John McCain, it's basically, "Here, the fix is already in and we need you to lose to this other jerk." That's not the footnote I'd prefer for myself. He was a real RINO though.
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago
  The RINO label was always very stupid. As if politicians in the USA had to always be factional, that they couldn’t have their own positions that came in either side of the spectrum. Just idiotic. There is no such thing as true Republican anyways. I mean, look at Trump, he, like Bush, obviously isn’t a fiscal conservative and doesn’t care about the deficit. That anti deficit position only comes up when a democrat is in charge, and is promptly forgotten afterwards. McCain was an effective politician because he was a maverick, and he shouldn't be chastised for his independence.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
hncommenter13 8y ago
FWIW, This American Life ran a great piece by Michael Lewis on John McCain's relationship with David Ifshin. Ifshin was a prominent Vietnam war protestor (and Democrat) who later developed a relationship with McCain. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/41/politics/act-four https://www.thisamericanlife.org/41/politics/act-four
throwawat2342 8y ago
Just a reminder that McCain advocated for the violent overthrow of multiple other countries. How dignified you sound in a speech doesn't matter when there's the blood of the many on your hands. He reached across the aisle because the Democrats love killing people too. Rep. Barbara Lee was the sole no vote on the AUMF. For those of you that met him in person and were impressed by his personality, most halfway decent politicians can pull that off, that's how they got elected. His domestic politics were standard conservative fare, and was against raising taxes on the rich to provide for human need. McCain failed us and menaced the world. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/09/john-mccain-world-attack-map-syria/ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/09/john-mccain-wor... https://www.liberationnews.org/john-mccain-war-criminal-not-war-hero/ https://www.liberationnews.org/john-mccain-war-criminal-not-... https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/25/17778146/john-mccain-dies-torture-legacy-waterboarding-enhanced-interrogation-cia https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/25/17778146/j... https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/john-mccain-foreign-policy-even-worse-bush https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/john-mccain-for... http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2008/05/worse_than_bush.html http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/...
js2 8y ago
John McCain dedicated his entire adult life to serving America with dignity, courage and honor. We need more McCains in the world, not fewer. RIP.
- scarface74 8y ago
  I can honestly say as someone who can’t support a Republican President because he would give too much power to southern regressionist Republicans and while I might have disagreed with a lot of their policies, I never saw any of the Republican Presidents or nominees as people who I didn’t think did or would have represented the country well. Until 2016... But they all had to veer to the right a little more than I thought they were comfortable with to win the election. But McCain shut down anyone who tried to make the election about race.
  - js2 8y ago
    McCain was treated terribly by his own party in the 2000 primary.
    - tooltalk 8y ago
      McCain was in the wrong party.
      - js2 8y ago
        There really isn't a McCain party today. He was too conservative for Democrats and too moderate for Republicans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_John_McCain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_John_Mc... He and Kerry considered running together in 2004. It is sad that such a ticket could never win. :-(
      - dragonwriter 8y ago
        No, McCain was very much a Republican by policy positions; sure, he wasn't completely lockstep, but outside of rhetoric he'd usually fall into the standard Republican position in substance. His notable maverick positions weren't mostly in between the typical R & D positions but instead things that were controversial in both parties. Yeah, post-Trump he may seem to have been in the wrong party, but post-Trump even much of the conservative establishment is questioning the Republican Party (George Will encouraging conservatives to vote for Democrats in the midterms, for instance.)
xvf22 8y ago
Met him once and was oddly taken aback and impressed. The nation has lost a hero that while I did not agree with on many issues I respected.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
Proven 8y ago
Wartime hero and peacetime war criminal
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
sonnyblarney 8y ago
Hero, Gentleman.
jaequery 8y ago
for the sake of humility, shouldn't we be saying "passed away", instead of "died"?
- dctoedt 8y ago
  Not sure it's in any way un-humble to use the plain and simple verb "died" instead of a euphemism.
imleft 8y ago
Reading the comments, it seems that hacker news and the left coast likes him. That should give you an idea of rights POV.
rpiguy 8y ago
John McCain’s first wife was a model who had a car accident that left her crippled and eroded her good looks. John McCain then cheated on her and then left her, eventually remarrying a younger, very attractive, very heiress. By most biographical accounts he was not a nice man in private, very egocentric, and had a very carefully constructed and well-maintained public image. He also was a POW to a brutal, Communist regime, a real war hero. It was sad to see him go to such a terrible disease. A complicated man indeed.
- gammateam 8y ago
  Thats not complicated. Uncomplicated men are as faithful as their options. This is a timeless tale and largely irrelevant to me, unless I wanted to look past the well-maintained public image and notice "oh hey he's human too".
  - rpiguy 8y ago
    You are right. “Human Too” would have been better than saying “complicated.” I thought it was relevant to this thread because every other comment has the word “honorable” in it, but in fact he was no better or worse than any of us.
    - gammateam 8y ago
      ah I understand now
- docker_up 8y ago
  He was very close friends with Joe Biden. Biden himself said on many occasions that if McCain ever called him up for help, Biden would be on the next plane to wherever he was in the world. I don't doubt that he had his enemies that hated him, but I doubt that sentence "he was not a nice man in private, very egocentric, and had a very carefully constructed and well-maintained public image." No one is perfect but there are more than enough honorable people that have painted McCain as both admirable, honorable and loved by them.
war1025 8y ago
My dad died from the same cancer about a year before McCain was diagnosed. Terrible, terrible thing to go through. I feel bad writing it out, but it gives me a bit of comfort to know it isn't something that could have been managed with the added resources of someone on the national stage like McCain. The first surgery is pretty amazing because they can get almost all of the cancer out, and all the weird behavior just disappears and you have a normal person back. And then you have a year or so to swallow that fact that it's all going to come back and you've been handed a death sentence. Since the cancer is in your brain, they can't be as aggressive as they are in other parts of your body. Also, the cancer cells worm their way into all the cracks and crevices, so what started out as one tumor turns into a whole pile of tumors the second time around. Probably the most painful memory I have is we were watching a movie and my dad didn't believe me that it wasn't a movie about my life and he thought I was lying to him when I said it was just a movie we were watching. Seeing someone you respect laid low like that is rough. Sort of like a very fast moving alzheimers. Puts life in perspective though. Dad died at 58. I'll be 30 this year. Halfway to the grave. No time to waste putting things off till "later".
- thsowers 8y ago
  > No time to waste putting things off till "later". As someone going through something similar (for the second time), thank you for sharing this.
- jabl 8y ago
  Lost my mother to the same. Doctors gave her a year, but in the end she died less than 5 months from the diagnosis. She was 62.
  - baxtr 8y ago
    I had a similar experience. My mum had cancer, they gave her “good 7-10” years, she died after 3. I don’t get why they not say instead: “we don’t know. Say everything you want to say, do everything you want to do. Quickly. Be greateful for every (additional) day.”
    - 8y ago
jim-jim-jim 8y ago
The man never saw a war he didn't like. Good riddance.
Tycho 8y ago
Not everyone is convinced about John McCain’s heroism and integrity. http://www.unz.com/runz/american-pravda-when-tokyo-rose-ran-for-president/ http://www.unz.com/runz/american-pravda-when-tokyo-rose-ran-...
khazhoux 8y ago
John McCain came to give a talk at the place I worked in '07. I got to shake his hand and say a couple of words to him. I remember exactly two things: - His hand was very soft. Notably so. - His face, his skin, looked translucent. Scot-Irish background indeed. So, not much of a story to tell, but if you want to know what it was like to see him up close... ^^^
exabrial 8y ago
Didn't agree with his politics, but the guy left a legacy. RIP and thank you for your service to our country.
kchhina 8y ago
Man had integrity. And I respect that about him. Even though I didn’t agree with everything he stood for. Rest In Peace, sir.
boonasty69 8y ago
So sad, heart goes out.
boonasty69 8y ago
So Sad heart goes out to the family.
singularity2001 8y ago
His most important legacy is this chart: http://www.climateoutcome.kiwi.nz/uploads/1/7/4/3/17431675/700015_orig.png http://www.climateoutcome.kiwi.nz/uploads/1/7/4/3/17431675/7... (we are now at 415ppm, so +22 Fahrenheit expected) Remember he would have been president if the military (Cheney+Bush) had not taken over.
mgarfias 8y ago
Complicit in hiding the existence of POWs left in Vietnam.
Giorgi 8y ago
As a Georgian (The country one) we are immensely grateful for all he has said for support of our country while we needed it the most. While Russia is invading and expanding occupation and impotent Europe is "Concerned" and Obama or Trump did not do jack shit, McCain was only one to voice up and support really small country against huge money he could have earned from Putin like others do. Fuck cancer and Fuck Russia
PovilasID 8y ago
I live in country that would not be in NATO or maybe even egzist without his unconditional principals and restless dedication to them. I respect this man

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

May he rest in peace. Being tortured and refusing to leave before other americans from prison camp alone makes him a hero.

anothergoogler 8y ago
It says something about the state of US politics that the sitting president unapologetically denigrated McCain's service and sacrifice. And did it on the campaign trail, just eight years after McCain was the nominee! Washington Post had something about it yesterday https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bad-blood-between-mccain-and-trump-lingers-even-as-the-arizona-republican-nears-the-end/2018/08/24/923bc0e2-a7b6-11e8-a656-943eefab5daf_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bad-blood-between-mc...

BoysenberryPi 8y ago

John McCain did somethings that I disagree with but the one thing I will always remember is when during the 2008 election there were multiple times during town halls and rallies that people would verbally attack Obama and McCain always shut them down without fail.

khuey 8y ago
Unfortunately his party did not follow his example and instead went all in on the nutjobs.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
justinsaccount 8y ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk
chx 8y ago
His concession speech: > I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited. > It's natural, tonight, to feel some disappointment. But tomorrow, we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again. If I might add, ten years later: it seems "the necessary compromises to bridge our differences" were not found.
- AdmiralAsshat 8y ago
  Of course he also said if Hillary won that he would refuse to confirm Garland for the entirety of her presidency...
  - krferriter 8y ago
    I mean that's due to a disagreement in politics. He wasn't calling her a demonic satan-worshipping child trafficker like some on that side of the spectrum were.
    - snuxoll 8y ago
      Certainly, but that doesn't make it okay. In general things weren't rosy with his political career, his reputation for being a "maverick" that would buck party leadership was laughable since he ended up toeing the party line more often that not, even when he decided to speak out against {X} idiotic move they made he would still put a "Yea" in for the vote. With that said I think he genuinely wanted what was best for the country, even if we never saw eye to eye on what "best" actually was.
  - greglindahl 8y ago
    Yep. There's good and bad in there. When people die, it's usual to recall the good more than the bad.
  - deleted 8y ago
dominotw 8y ago
I've wondered about this for a long time. Can you be a republican and be considered virtuous. Not sure why my comment was downvoted, I am not suggesting that this is that case, just asking why its not case. I am not an American but the way I understood American politics is that Republican values are believing that you are successful because you worked hard while democrats are that you are merely a product of the zeitgeist. All the policies of each 'side' can be extrapolated from that basic tenet. For example, if you are a republican you favor slashing funding for social programs(eg: McCain's bill to slash funding for military medical research funding, slash funding to amtrak ). can you still be considered virtuous if you are republican?
mehrdadn 8y ago
I've found 1 clip so far [1]; would you happen to have more? I'd love to be able to refer back to these in the future. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk
- pjscott 8y ago
  Well shit. I wasn't going to celebrate John McCain's funeral, but now I almost have to, after all he did to keep my country peaceful. I'll look him up, and be humbler in judgement from here on out. God damn it. :-(
  - deleted 8y ago
    [deleted]
  - Markoff 8y ago
    it's celebrate the right for this in English? it sounds to me like you would be happy he has funeral, there must be better word than "celebrate", isn't?
    - lgregg 8y ago
      Celebrate is the right word Ie Celebrate his life
    - DoreenMichele 8y ago
      We often celebrate a person's life and accomplishments upon their passing. The exact phrasing of the above is a little odd, but celebrate can be the right expression here without necessarily meaning "I'm so glad they died."
ikeyany 8y ago
He was truly one of our last great Republican leaders.
- eclectic 8y ago
  Romney was also great at losing to Democrats.
27182818284 8y ago
He tried to do the right thing. Sometimes it came out a bit awkward like the infamous "He is a decent human being" comment, but his heart was in the right place https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIjenjANqAk
emmelaich 8y ago
McCain was an honorable man. But not the only one. Guess who said these words: > It will be a stirring sight to watch President Obama, his wife, Michelle, and their beautiful girls step through the doors of the White House. I know millions of Americans will be overcome with pride at this inspiring moment that so many have awaited so long.
- leonroy 8y ago
  George W. Bush for those googling.

0d 8y ago

One of these criminals who destroyed the middle East and many other countries.. he took nothing with him. No one is going to take anything with.. so better we do good.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
jayess 8y ago
He never missed a chance to shill for war.

ransom1538 8y ago

"McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and followed his father and grandfather—both four-star admirals—into the U.S. Navy. He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he was almost killed in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. While McCain was on a bombing mission over Hanoi in October 1967, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer. The wounds that he sustained during war have left him with lifelong physical disabilities. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he entered politics. In 1982, McCain was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms. He entered the U.S. Senate in 1987 and easily won reelection five times, most recently in 2016. " Well, I just finished a cool CRUD app.

anoncoward111 8y ago
And you probably were paid more!
mod 8y ago
> McCain experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer I'm not sure I can imagine how difficult that would be in practice, though it's nice to think you could do it in theory. I'm dealing with some family members not doing the right thing recently by not respecting the final wishes of their own mother. With that on my mind, it makes for such a stark contrast.
Gustomaximus 8y ago
> and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer Thats serious integrity and loyalty.
aerovistae 8y ago
I dislike this mentality and wish to dissent. I feel bad about playing video games sometimes and have to remind myself of the photograph called Hubble Deep Field. Look it up if you haven’t seen it before. Do what you want to and don’t stop yourself from enjoying it by comparing your life to some famous person or some blogger. It’s easy to feel bad when you read a biography of Augustus....why aim low and settle for comparing to McCain? If you want to attempt great things, go for it, but don’t start thinking a comfortable and peaceful life (which is the only thing so many people throughout history yearned for and were denied) is “not enough.”

jerx 8y ago

not a big fan of mccain's, appreciated his service to the us during the vietnam war and senate, and pity to see him go out that way lately.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

b_b 8y ago

Here goes sadly one of the last remaining examples of a respectful and dignified politician, no matter the political party of the other.

smallstepforman 8y ago
Respectful? He was evil reincarnate, deep in the MIC pockets, with vile hatred towards anyone who dared oppose PaxAmericana. May he burn in hell.
paulcole 8y ago
Which political party was his wife? https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/07/report-mccains-profane-ti_n_95429.html https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/07/report-mccains-pro...
colordrops 8y ago
He was a war hawk who regularly advocated for murdering foreigners. I am sad for anyone's passing, but I don't find McCain worthy of special honor.

Someone1234 8y ago

I admire people who put country ahead of party. Therefore I admired John McCain, even when I disagreed with him, I never questioned his motives. Good guy, who served with honor. Will be missed.

anonu 8y ago

Just a reminder that Republican vs Democrat doesn't ultimately matter. I think McCain embodied that belief through his long years of service to the USA, his willingness to reach across the aisle and through his values and ideals (integrity, respect, honesty) from which he did not waver.

lisper 8y ago
> Republican vs Democrat doesn't ultimately matter It shouldn't matter. But unfortunately, all too often, it does.
JustSomeNobody 8y ago
> Just a reminder that Republican vs Democrat doesn't ultimately matter. Sadly, all too many voters (and politicians) treat it like a football game.
- dqpb 8y ago
  Sports, Religion, Politics
DoofusOfDeath 8y ago
Could you explain your opening statement a little? The way I'm interpreting it implies that the platform differences between those parties isn't really important in any way.
- anonu 8y ago
  I mean a few things. For the most part I'm being a bit fatalist: we are all going to die and we are all going to end up in the same place. So the journey through our lives should be one where we embrace other people's differences instead of rail against them. McCain, to me, seemed to embody values that showed a willingness to work with people who shared different views. He put his nation before himself. That's partly what I was alluding to..
- sidlls 8y ago
  The platforms don't make any difference. What matters is whether the political leaders follow them, and for Dems at least they mostly just act like Republicans but are really sorry about it.

davrosthedalek 8y ago

The world lost a true statesman. What a sad day.

ruskerdax 8y ago
Yeah, if hackers are known for anything, it's being big fans of statesmen, especially ones that approved the PATRIOT Act (twice), extending its wiretapping provisions, and sponsoring a bill that would let the US government detain anyone in the world indefinitely without trial. Truly a sad day.
- davrosthedalek 8y ago
  So you are saying it's a happy day?
- oh_sigh 8y ago
  OP isn't a true hacker unless he dances on McCain's grave
- rpiguy 8y ago
  Agree Hacker News really isn’t an appropriate name for this forum anymore, but that is a topic that deserves its own thread. On topic, loss is sad when anyone dies, even if they hold views you find abhorent. They leave behind friends and family and remind us of our own mortality and the one thing we all have in common (finite existence).
  - ruskerdax 8y ago
    Ascribe whatever personal significance to the death of a famous person you wish. McCain's "views" and career as a statesman have little relevance to hackers and hacking except where he personally acted in ways which affect hackers and technology they use. This is the basis on which I commented.
- hluska 8y ago
  This is a very weak, thoroughly tasteless comment.

forkLding 8y ago

RIP McCain

lerxst 8y ago

John McCain was a true American hero, dedicating his life to the United States. I did not always agree with him, but he will truly be missed, especially during the current political climate. May he rest in peace.

oopsman88 8y ago

It does not surprise me to see HN treating McCain as a hero, when he was pretty much the definition of "cuckservative" (a word I deeply hate, but fits here)

dopeboy 8y ago

I got to live in Iowa in the summer of 2007 for an engineering internship at Rockwell Collins. One bonus of that was getting to go to all the rallies. I went to a McCain rally and an Obama rally. I remember the energy of the room when Obama came in. The crowd was young and loud. Obama got up and gave his usual stump speech and then went around to shake hands. I shook his hand and got a word or two in but I could tell he wasn't really interested in talking to me and moved on. I went to a McCain rally a couple weeks later. A much older crowd and a little more subdued. This was around the time MoveOn was criticizing General Petraeus over his surge in Iraq policy. McCain was upset about this so the mood at the venue, which was a VFW, was a little more bitter. McCain gave a speech which was different than Obama's, a little more off-the-cuff and a little more angry. I remember him talking with the audience rather than to the audience like Obama. Afterwards, he shook hands with everyone and paused for a conversation. I remember talking to him about STEM programs and the importance of producing more engineers here in the U.S. He looked me in the eyes the whole time, was genuinely curious about my background, and wished me good luck at the end [0]. I ended up voting and working for Obama but I'll never forget that day and how genuine and down-to-earth McCain was with me. [0] - https://twitter.com/manishsinhaha/status/1033516157343387648 https://twitter.com/manishsinhaha/status/1033516157343387648

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
gbacon 8y ago
McCain might have beaten Hillary, but when Obama locked up the drawn out Democratic nomination, the race was over for the reasons you described.
- secfirstmd 8y ago
  Also making the ridiculous decision (which says a lot about his judgement) to run with Sarah Palin as his VP.
  - darkerside 8y ago

liquidise 8y ago

America lost a publicly principled man today. RIP sir. As a related meta-analysis of the response to his passing, i am surprised how many comments here include disclaimers to the appreciation offered. "I didn't agree with him but...". Have we become this partisan as a people? Our semi-anonymous respects for the passing of a prominent figure must be disclaimer-ed with political editorials. A worrying trend.

untog 8y ago
> Our semi-anonymous respects for the passing of a prominent figure must be disclaimer-ed with political editorials. I mean, he was a politician. And I don't think people are saying that to disclaim their appreciation at all, they're saying it to underline the fact that their appreciation exists despite a deep disagreement with his politics.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
gbacon 8y ago
Because admitting political sympathies other than progressive around here draws harsh responses from the HN hivemind.
- eclectic 8y ago
  Bingo!
dnomad 8y ago
Perhaps the strangest aspect of American politics is the total lack of accountability. You really don't see this sort of blind loyalty outside of third world banana regimes. Here you have a guy who is self-admittedly responsible for the destruction of half a million mostly innocent human beings [1], a key architect of the greatest crime of the 21st century that led directly to the scourge of ISIS and the destruction of Syria, and it's like -- "He was an American hero! Don't dare criticize him!" The only actual anger towards McCain comes from Trump extremists. And this is the interesting bit: accountability is supposed to be a key aspect of democracy but you can literally push your country into a totally unnecessary and that's A-OK. You'll only be criticized if you deviate from the party's leader. And while McCain may have eventually admitted Iraq was a mistake it did nothing to lessen his efforts to bomb brown people. He was a key supporter of Saudi Arabia's carpet bombing of Yemen [2] which is now literally blowing up school buses of children. I guess you don't even have to learn from your mistakes. [1] https://www.vox.com/2018/5/25/17394466/john-mccain-memoir-iraq-war-mistake https://www.vox.com/2018/5/25/17394466/john-mccain-memoir-ir... [2] http://observer.com/2017/06/democrats-trump-administration-arms-sale-saudi-arabia-yemen/ http://observer.com/2017/06/democrats-trump-administration-a...

andrewclunn 8y ago

Looking at these comments I believe I now believe that the "second civil war" nuts may not be nuts after all.

ahurmazda 8y ago

"Asked how he wanted to be remembered, McCain said: 'He served his country, and not always right—made a lot of mistakes, made a lot of errors—but served his country, and, I hope we could add, honorably.'" Last part always gets me. It takes a lot of humility to accept mistakes. RIP an honorable man

leolll 8y ago

"Bomb-bomb-bomb, bomb-bomb Iran" -McCain That's what I remember him for. He later said he was just joking. As if joking about killing thousands of people is somehow better.

ericd 8y ago
I mean, that's pretty obviously a joke, even with no context. It's a riff on the lyrics to a Beach Boys song.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- Jach 8y ago
  McCain himself points that out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-zoPgv_nYg I remember him for that one but also for advocating the permanent military presence, like South Korea, going forward in Iraq. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf7HYoh9YMM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf7HYoh9YMM I'm somewhat surprised that HN seems to have such a hardon for the man, and every negative comment is being downvoted / flagged. I remember pretty clearly how Obama-obsessed the tech world was in 2008, and even Family Guy did a "we're not saying he's a nazi but nazis support him" routine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRHL5QlwA-g https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRHL5QlwA-g What happened to make the HN crowd change their opinion (did McCain fight back against software patents at some point despite being a self-admitted computer illiterate?), or was it always glowing and the subject just didn't come up?
  - tntn 8y ago
    > What happened He died, and most people tend to talk only about good stuff out of respect immediately afterward. You don't see people getting up and criticizing the deceased at funerals.

tzs 8y ago

The comment section on the story about this on Foxnew.com [1] is eye-opening. At the moment it is about 1/3 celebrating his death and complaining that he was really a RINO or closet liberal, 1/3 not commenting on his death but complaining about the RINO/closet liberal stuff, and 1/3 expressing sorrow at his death. [1] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/25/john-mccain-dead-at-81.html http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/25/john-mccain-dead-... Addendum: the comments section seems to have been removed from that story.

cabaalis 8y ago
Midterm elections are near. The astroturfing is strong. You should believe less than 1/3 of the comments you read are actually genuine.
- davrosthedalek 8y ago
  I hope you are right. I had the chance to read some of it before it was removed. Atrocious.
gbacon 8y ago
Revolting cheers at Scalia’s death were similar. Any hint at possibly gaining control of The Precious brings out the very worst in people. Hivemind N.B.: I had strong disagreements with both Scalia and McCain. Don’t taze me, bro!
- AdamM12 8y ago
  People have seemed to formed this evil caricature of Scalia that I really don't understand. Guy truly loved the law and loved teaching it. My understanding is that is why his opinions were so verbose. Also guy was always expansive on 4th Amendment which I'm, and likely a lot of people on here, a big fan of.
danso 8y ago
I wouldn't judge too much from a comments section. Seems like those attract the worst of the Internet, no matter what the subject.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

root_axis 8y ago

He was a complicated guy. I wish his family well.

hirundo 8y ago

John McCain, a hero of a lost war, a senator whose signature law was overturned, a contender in a lost presidential race. For all of his integrity, accomplishment and hard work his life's efforts were largely futile. Except for his family. A more fitting epitaph may be: John McCain, Father, Husband, Son. And that's not bad at all.

unit91 8y ago
> his life's efforts were largely futile Tell that to the guys he provided close air support for. I've been on the ground when it comes down. Years later I'm still thankful and it brings tears to my eyes.
- hirundo 8y ago
  Agreed. I was searching for a word to use in the epitaph to represent that, maybe Wingman or Comrade.
j7ake 8y ago
I disagree. His integrity, accomplishment, and hard work in his life has inspired many others to follow a principled life. He is a role model for the new generation.

AdamM12 8y ago

Wish I wasn't so young when he ran against Obama in '08. Paid no attention and missed my opportunity to vote for him. Ran a really respectful campaign. HBO doc on him was really good too. Nasty stuff about his adopted (Bangledeshi) daughter when he ran against Bush. Just an amazing guy.

beltex 8y ago

May he rest in peace. Glioblastoma is particularly awful, even in the realm of cancer. Two books I found quite interesting on neurosurgery and cancer as a whole. Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh and The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

mynameishere 8y ago

I'll always feel a little bad for guys who get stuck with the bound-to-lose candidacies. From Adlai Stevenson to Bob Dole to John McCain, it's basically, "Here, the fix is already in and we need you to lose to this other jerk." That's not the footnote I'd prefer for myself. He was a real RINO though.

seanmcdirmid 8y ago
The RINO label was always very stupid. As if politicians in the USA had to always be factional, that they couldn’t have their own positions that came in either side of the spectrum. Just idiotic. There is no such thing as true Republican anyways. I mean, look at Trump, he, like Bush, obviously isn’t a fiscal conservative and doesn’t care about the deficit. That anti deficit position only comes up when a democrat is in charge, and is promptly forgotten afterwards. McCain was an effective politician because he was a maverick, and he shouldn't be chastised for his independence.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

hncommenter13 8y ago

FWIW, This American Life ran a great piece by Michael Lewis on John McCain's relationship with David Ifshin. Ifshin was a prominent Vietnam war protestor (and Democrat) who later developed a relationship with McCain. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/41/politics/act-four https://www.thisamericanlife.org/41/politics/act-four

throwawat2342 8y ago

Just a reminder that McCain advocated for the violent overthrow of multiple other countries. How dignified you sound in a speech doesn't matter when there's the blood of the many on your hands. He reached across the aisle because the Democrats love killing people too. Rep. Barbara Lee was the sole no vote on the AUMF. For those of you that met him in person and were impressed by his personality, most halfway decent politicians can pull that off, that's how they got elected. His domestic politics were standard conservative fare, and was against raising taxes on the rich to provide for human need. McCain failed us and menaced the world. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/09/john-mccain-world-attack-map-syria/ https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/09/john-mccain-wor... https://www.liberationnews.org/john-mccain-war-criminal-not-war-hero/ https://www.liberationnews.org/john-mccain-war-criminal-not-... https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/25/17778146/john-mccain-dies-torture-legacy-waterboarding-enhanced-interrogation-cia https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/25/17778146/j... https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/john-mccain-foreign-policy-even-worse-bush https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/john-mccain-for... http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2008/05/worse_than_bush.html http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/...

js2 8y ago

John McCain dedicated his entire adult life to serving America with dignity, courage and honor. We need more McCains in the world, not fewer. RIP.

scarface74 8y ago
I can honestly say as someone who can’t support a Republican President because he would give too much power to southern regressionist Republicans and while I might have disagreed with a lot of their policies, I never saw any of the Republican Presidents or nominees as people who I didn’t think did or would have represented the country well. Until 2016... But they all had to veer to the right a little more than I thought they were comfortable with to win the election. But McCain shut down anyone who tried to make the election about race.
- js2 8y ago
  McCain was treated terribly by his own party in the 2000 primary.
  - tooltalk 8y ago
    McCain was in the wrong party.
    - js2 8y ago
      There really isn't a McCain party today. He was too conservative for Democrats and too moderate for Republicans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_John_McCain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_John_Mc... He and Kerry considered running together in 2004. It is sad that such a ticket could never win. :-(
    - dragonwriter 8y ago
      No, McCain was very much a Republican by policy positions; sure, he wasn't completely lockstep, but outside of rhetoric he'd usually fall into the standard Republican position in substance. His notable maverick positions weren't mostly in between the typical R & D positions but instead things that were controversial in both parties. Yeah, post-Trump he may seem to have been in the wrong party, but post-Trump even much of the conservative establishment is questioning the Republican Party (George Will encouraging conservatives to vote for Democrats in the midterms, for instance.)

xvf22 8y ago

Met him once and was oddly taken aback and impressed. The nation has lost a hero that while I did not agree with on many issues I respected.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

Proven 8y ago

Wartime hero and peacetime war criminal

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

sonnyblarney 8y ago

Hero, Gentleman.

jaequery 8y ago

for the sake of humility, shouldn't we be saying "passed away", instead of "died"?

dctoedt 8y ago
Not sure it's in any way un-humble to use the plain and simple verb "died" instead of a euphemism.

imleft 8y ago

Reading the comments, it seems that hacker news and the left coast likes him. That should give you an idea of rights POV.

rpiguy 8y ago

John McCain’s first wife was a model who had a car accident that left her crippled and eroded her good looks. John McCain then cheated on her and then left her, eventually remarrying a younger, very attractive, very heiress. By most biographical accounts he was not a nice man in private, very egocentric, and had a very carefully constructed and well-maintained public image. He also was a POW to a brutal, Communist regime, a real war hero. It was sad to see him go to such a terrible disease. A complicated man indeed.

gammateam 8y ago
Thats not complicated. Uncomplicated men are as faithful as their options. This is a timeless tale and largely irrelevant to me, unless I wanted to look past the well-maintained public image and notice "oh hey he's human too".
- rpiguy 8y ago
  You are right. “Human Too” would have been better than saying “complicated.” I thought it was relevant to this thread because every other comment has the word “honorable” in it, but in fact he was no better or worse than any of us.
  - gammateam 8y ago
    ah I understand now
docker_up 8y ago
He was very close friends with Joe Biden. Biden himself said on many occasions that if McCain ever called him up for help, Biden would be on the next plane to wherever he was in the world. I don't doubt that he had his enemies that hated him, but I doubt that sentence "he was not a nice man in private, very egocentric, and had a very carefully constructed and well-maintained public image." No one is perfect but there are more than enough honorable people that have painted McCain as both admirable, honorable and loved by them.

war1025 8y ago

My dad died from the same cancer about a year before McCain was diagnosed. Terrible, terrible thing to go through. I feel bad writing it out, but it gives me a bit of comfort to know it isn't something that could have been managed with the added resources of someone on the national stage like McCain. The first surgery is pretty amazing because they can get almost all of the cancer out, and all the weird behavior just disappears and you have a normal person back. And then you have a year or so to swallow that fact that it's all going to come back and you've been handed a death sentence. Since the cancer is in your brain, they can't be as aggressive as they are in other parts of your body. Also, the cancer cells worm their way into all the cracks and crevices, so what started out as one tumor turns into a whole pile of tumors the second time around. Probably the most painful memory I have is we were watching a movie and my dad didn't believe me that it wasn't a movie about my life and he thought I was lying to him when I said it was just a movie we were watching. Seeing someone you respect laid low like that is rough. Sort of like a very fast moving alzheimers. Puts life in perspective though. Dad died at 58. I'll be 30 this year. Halfway to the grave. No time to waste putting things off till "later".

thsowers 8y ago
> No time to waste putting things off till "later". As someone going through something similar (for the second time), thank you for sharing this.
jabl 8y ago
Lost my mother to the same. Doctors gave her a year, but in the end she died less than 5 months from the diagnosis. She was 62.
- baxtr 8y ago
  I had a similar experience. My mum had cancer, they gave her “good 7-10” years, she died after 3. I don’t get why they not say instead: “we don’t know. Say everything you want to say, do everything you want to do. Quickly. Be greateful for every (additional) day.”
  - 8y ago

jim-jim-jim 8y ago

The man never saw a war he didn't like. Good riddance.

Tycho 8y ago

Not everyone is convinced about John McCain’s heroism and integrity. http://www.unz.com/runz/american-pravda-when-tokyo-rose-ran-for-president/ http://www.unz.com/runz/american-pravda-when-tokyo-rose-ran-...

khazhoux 8y ago

John McCain came to give a talk at the place I worked in '07. I got to shake his hand and say a couple of words to him. I remember exactly two things: - His hand was very soft. Notably so. - His face, his skin, looked translucent. Scot-Irish background indeed. So, not much of a story to tell, but if you want to know what it was like to see him up close... ^^^

exabrial 8y ago

Didn't agree with his politics, but the guy left a legacy. RIP and thank you for your service to our country.

kchhina 8y ago

Man had integrity. And I respect that about him. Even though I didn’t agree with everything he stood for. Rest In Peace, sir.

boonasty69 8y ago

So sad, heart goes out.

boonasty69 8y ago

So Sad heart goes out to the family.

singularity2001 8y ago

His most important legacy is this chart: http://www.climateoutcome.kiwi.nz/uploads/1/7/4/3/17431675/700015_orig.png http://www.climateoutcome.kiwi.nz/uploads/1/7/4/3/17431675/7... (we are now at 415ppm, so +22 Fahrenheit expected) Remember he would have been president if the military (Cheney+Bush) had not taken over.

mgarfias 8y ago

Complicit in hiding the existence of POWs left in Vietnam.

Giorgi 8y ago

As a Georgian (The country one) we are immensely grateful for all he has said for support of our country while we needed it the most. While Russia is invading and expanding occupation and impotent Europe is "Concerned" and Obama or Trump did not do jack shit, McCain was only one to voice up and support really small country against huge money he could have earned from Putin like others do. Fuck cancer and Fuck Russia

PovilasID 8y ago

I live in country that would not be in NATO or maybe even egzist without his unconditional principals and restless dedication to them. I respect this man