Why McCain’s funeral mattered
For a Republican US senator and a twice-unsuccessful presidential aspirant, the week-long funeral of John McCain was most impressive and well-covered by all media all over the world. It generated a lot of background stories of the man and his family, the quality of his persona, his career and his impact on American politics then, and the impact of his death on the current politics and the existing US government.
John McCain III was a third-generation naval officer after his father and grandfather who were both admirals. The two senior McCains served with distinction to reach their top positions in the US Navy. John McCain III was a navy lieutenant when he was captured in North Vietnam and was tortured and imprisoned for seven years. Released in 1973 at the age of 36, he began a career in politics that made him a two-term congressman, then a five-time re-elected senator and then a presidential candidate. While his heroism as a military man may have endeared him to the people early in his political aspirations to make him win, it was his performance and his uprightness that propelled him to further his political career. He embodied the universal ideal of a decent man who believes in truth, justice, and the rightness of his cause and acted on them accordingly. In an episode during his presidential campaign against Obama, a woman walked up to him and remarked that Obama was a racist Muslim. In response, McCain took the woman aside and told her, that Obama was not a racist but is a decent family man who just happened to be his opponent for the presidency.
John McCain III died of brain cancer at the age of 82 last August 29, 2018 after he ordered a stop to all medications. He gave very specific instructions for his burial; from his place of interment which is the naval cemetery, to who will be invited to his funeral, which is to exclude Trump and Sarah Palin, and on who should give the eulogies which included former presidents Obama and Bush and former vice president Biden among others. The multi-media coverage including social media showed that all his instructions were followed. The tributes from the speakers were generous but the unsaid adulations of the crowds of nameless persons who lined up to watch and follow the funeral were more moving and appreciated. During all these times, President Trump did not comment on the funeral and went to play golf in one of his favorite courses.
At a time when the Trump presidency is besieged with issues of his amorality, his honesty, his work ethic, and his capacity to understand the complexity of the presidency, the funeral of McCain highlighted the contrast of these two men and what it means to the Americans. The current moral decline of American politics and government evokes memories of America of earlier times when rationality and decency were norms, of America as a beacon of freedom, liberty, and equal opportunity, and the reliving these ideals.
The Trump administration has upended American relations with its democratic allies all over the world, with trade wars and his shifted leanings to authoritarian leaders. It created divisiveness in the domestic front by emphasizing racial and ideological differences, rather than concentrating on matters that unite all Americans. As the champion and best example of liberal democracy for governments all over the world, the US seem to have retreated from this role at a time when history and human progress points this to be the direction to go.
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