Two presidents honor McCain at funeral as Trump heads to golf club

WASHINGTON, United States— Two ex-presidents from opposing parties united Saturday to honor US senator John McCain, in a momentous funeral that championed his aspirations of political comity but also rebuked the tribalism and division trafficked by Donald Trump.

As millions tuned in to the nationally televised memorial attended by the breadth of Washington powerbrokers, Trump himself was notably absent -- leaving the capital to head to his golf club in Virginia just when eulogies to McCain were being delivered.


And while Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama offered subtle swipes at the current commander in chief, McCain's daughter Meghan used the words of Trump's campaign slogan to deliver a searing, unmistakable rebuke.

"The America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great," she said, to extended applause.

As Bush and Obama praised McCain for repeatedly placing country over party or self, the stunning contrast between the unifying ceremony under the neo-Gothic arches of Washington National Cathedral and an outcast Trump only highlighted the astonishing state of US politics.

Hailing his friend as "an extraordinary man" who embodied what is best in America, Obama said McCain, who battled fiercely but respectfully in the political arena, "made us better presidents -- just as he made the Senate better, just as he made the country better."

He was echoing similar sentiments expressed minutes earlier by Bush, who defeated McCain in a "hard fought" Republican primary battle in 2000, only to see that bitter rivalry melt away into a lasting friendship.

Same team

While Bush and Obama hail from different parties, their message Saturday was clear: US politics can and should rise to a higher level with the example set by McCain.

"We never doubted the other man's sincerity or the other man's patriotism -- or that when all was said and done, we were on the same team," Obama said of his rough but respectful campaign battles with McCain.

So much of today's politics, "our public discourse, can seem small and mean and petty, trafficking in bombast and insult," he added.

"It's a politics that pretends to be brave and tough but in fact is born of fear. John called on us to be bigger than that."

McCain's final public ceremony before his private burial Sunday at the US Naval Academy in nearby Annapolis, Maryland highlighted the warrior politician's call for healing.

"Perhaps above all John detested the abuse of power, could not abide bigots and swaggering despots," said Bush, as Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner sat in attendance.

Trump's Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly were also present.

But it was the gathering of heavyweights from both parties past and present that drew more attention, including Bill and Hillary Clinton; former vice presidents Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Joe Biden; and former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright and John Kerry.

International dignitaries were also in attendance. On the guest list provided by funeral organizers was President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine, where McCain helped support opposition to Russian aggression, and Russian opposition figure Vladimir Kara-Murza.

Withering rebuke

McCain, who died last Saturday at age 81, has been lionized over the past week of emotional commemorations, including his congressional colleagues bestowing him the rare honor of lying in state in the US Capitol on Friday.

At the funeral, which McCain spent months organizing as he battled cancer, Meghan McCain delivered a tear-filled tribute to her father.

And while Trump's name was not mentioned during the ceremony, McCain's daughter drew a clear and damning distinction between her father and Trump's combative politics.

"We gather here to mourn the passing of American greatness -- the real thing, not cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly," she said, criticizing "those who lived lives of comfort and privilege, while he suffered and served."

Earlier Saturday, the flag-draped casket of McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam for more than five years, was taken by honor guard from the US Capitol and placed in a black hearse.

It stopped at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to allow his widow Cindy McCain to lay a wreath honoring all who died in the conflict.

She had been stoic throughout days of commemorations for her husband, but on Saturday during opera singer Renee Fleming's performance of the ballad "Danny Boy," she lay her head on son Jack's shoulder and wept.

"Today we lost our hero, our friend, our mentor, our father, our grandfather and our husband. Together we mourn and together we go on," she wrote on Twitter.

Aside from Trump, another notable figure not invited to the funeral was McCain's 2008 running mate Sarah Palin, who became associated with the far-right movement that in some ways nurtured white identity politics.

source: philstar.com

Friends call John McCain hero, maverick at Arizona funeral

PHOENIX — A former vice president, an NFL star and other friends remembered Sen. John McCain as a "true American hero" — and a terrible driver with a wicked sense of humor and love of a good battle — at a crowded church service Thursday for the maverick politician that ended to the tune of Frank Sinatra's "My Way."

Addressing an estimated 3,500 mourners, former Vice President Joe Biden recalled "the sheer joy that crossed his face when he knew he was about to take the stage of the Senate floor and start a fight."

Biden, a Democrat who was among the fast friends the Republican senator made across the aisle, said he thought of McCain as a brother, "with a lot of family fights."

The service for the statesman, former prisoner of war and two-time presidential candidate unfolded at North Phoenix Baptist Church after a motorcade bearing McCain's body made its way from the state Capitol past Arizonans waving American flags and campaign-style McCain signs.

Family members watched in silence as uniformed military members removed the flag-draped casket from a black hearse and carried it into the church. McCain died Saturday of brain cancer at age 81.

McCain's longtime chief of staff Grant Woods, a former Arizona attorney general, drew laughs with a eulogy in which he talked about McCain's "terribly bad driving" and his sense of humor, which included calling the Leisure World retirement community "Seizure World."

Woods also recalled the way McCain would introduce him to new staff members by saying, "You'll have to fire half of them."

The church's senior pastor, Noe Garcia, pronounced McCain "a true American hero."

The service brought to a close two days of mourning for the six-term senator and 2008 GOP presidential nominee in his home state.

A motorcade then took McCain's body to the airport, where it was put aboard a military plane that flew to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, outside Washington ahead of a lying-in-state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, a service at the Washington National Cathedral on Saturday, and burial at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on Sunday.

Twenty-four sitting U.S. senators and four former senators attended the church service, according to McCain's office.

Neither Biden nor other speakers uttered President Donald Trump's name, but Biden made what some saw as a veiled reference to the president when he talked about McCain's character and how he parted company with those who "lacked the basic values of decency and respect, knowing this project is bigger than yourself."

Biden said McCain "could not stand the abuse of power wherever he saw it, in whatever form, in whatever country."

Dabbing his eyes at times, Biden also referred to his own son's death from cancer, saying of the disease, "It's brutal, it's relentless, it's unforgiving." And he spoke directly to McCain's widow, Cindy McCain, in the front row: "You were his ballast."

At the end of the nearly 90-minute ceremony, McCain's casket was wheeled out of the church to "My Way," in tribute to a politician known for following his own path based on his personal principles.

McCain clashed openly with Trump, who mocked McCain for getting captured during the Vietnam War. Two White House officials said McCain's family had asked that Trump not attend the funeral services.

Trump, who had been widely criticized for his muted response to McCain's death, insisted in an interview with Bloomberg News Thursday that he'd honored the senator appropriately.

"I've done everything that they requested and no, I don't think I have at all," he said in response to a question about whether he'd made a mistake and missed an opportunity to unite the country.

Asked whether McCain would have made a better president than McCain's 2008 rival, Barack Obama, Trump said: "I don't want to comment on it. I have a very strong opinion, all right."

The memorial was laced with humor and featured a racially and ethnically diverse roster of speakers and other participants.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who is black, talked about his unlikely connection with McCain, a big fan of the state's sports teams.

"While from very different worlds, we developed a meaningful friendship," said Fitzgerald, adding that McCain didn't judge others on their skin color, gender or bank account but on their character.

As the 11-vehicle motorcade with a 17-motorcycle police escort made its way toward the church, people along the 8-mile (13-kilometer) route held signs that read simply "McCain," and cars on the other side of the highway stopped or slowed to a crawl in apparent tribute.

A few firefighters saluted from atop a fire engine parked on an overpass as the motorcade passed underneath on Interstate 17.

One man shouted, "We love you!"

It came a day after a private service was held at the Arizona Capitol for family and friends and then an estimated 15,000 people filed past the senator's casket to pay their final respects.

Michael Fellars was among those awaiting the motorcade outside the church Thursday. The Marine veteran said he was also the fourth person in line to attend the viewing at the state Capitol for McCain, a Navy pilot held prisoner by the North Vietnamese for 5½ years after being shot down over Hanoi.

"He was about the only politician that I have ever known who cared for the people in his country, and he tried his level best to make it a better place in which to live," Fellars said.

___

Associated Press writers Anita Snow, Jacques Billeaud and Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this report.

source: philstar.com

Trump, under pressure to honor McCain, orders flags to half-staff

Washington, UNITED STATES — Donald Trump on Monday bowed to pressure to honor the late John McCain, ordering the lowering of flags across the country to half-staff, as the late senator fired a parting shot at the president in a farewell message to the nation.

Trump's about-face came after he found himself mired in controversy over his rather conspicuous failure to pay tribute to McCain, who died Saturday at 81 after a year-long battle with brain cancer.


When veterans' groups launched appeals for a more fitting salute to McCain, a Navy veteran who was imprisoned for more than five years in Vietnam, the Republican leader -- who had no love lost for the Arizona senator -- blinked.

"Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Senator John McCain's service to our country," Trump said in a statement as he ordered the flag atop the White House and elsewhere to fly at half-staff until McCain's burial on Sunday.

The White House flag was lowered after McCain's death on Saturday -- but it was once again at the top of the flagpole on Monday morning.


Trump's initial silence about McCain underscored the isolation of the US leader and fueled criticism that he is incapable of bringing a divided nation together even as it mourns a man widely seen as an American hero and a political icon.

In Phoenix, where a week of tributes to McCain was soon to get underway, Rick Davis, the two-time presidential candidate's former campaign manager, confirmed that Trump would not be attending the funeral.

The president himself said Vice President Mike Pence would speak at a ceremony honoring McCain at the US Capitol on Friday.

White House chief of staff John Kelly, Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Advisor John Bolton would represent the administration at his services, he added.

'Tribal rivalries'

In Phoenix, Davis read a posthumous statement from McCain that did not spare Trump.

"We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe," McCain said.

"We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been," he said -- -- an apparent reference to Trump's plans for a border wall.

"I lived and died a proud American. We are citizens of the world's greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil," McCain continued.

"Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here," he said, adding that the country "will get through these challenging times."

'Not a war hero'

McCain, who served as a senator from Arizona for more than 30 years, clashed repeatedly with Trump even though they were both Republicans, and the president initially paid scant tribute to the senator after his death.

The Washington Post reported that White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Chief of Staff Kelly and other senior staff had urged a statement be released referring to McCain as a "hero" -- but Trump opted to tweet instead.

"My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain," Trump tweeted. "Our hearts and prayers are with you!"

That had been the extent of Trump's remarks on McCain's passing until the White House statement on Monday.

McCain's remains will lie in state at Arizona's capitol on Wednesday, before a public viewing Friday in the rotunda of the US Capitol -- an honor reserved for the likes of John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and civil rights champion Rosa Parks.

The two men who defeated McCain in his White House campaigns, Republican George W. Bush in 2000 and Democrat Barack Obama in 2008, are expected to deliver eulogies at a Saturday service at the National Cathedral in Washington.

McCain will be buried Sunday at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in a private funeral service.

Bipartisan praise

In Washington, McCain's death has been a rare occasion for bipartisan praise for his lifetime in public service.

Tributes have poured in from every living former president, honoring the former Navy aviator for his courage, integrity and decency.

On Capitol Hill, his desk on the Senate floor was draped with a black cloth, and adorned with a bowl of white roses.

The enmity between Trump and McCain dates from the day the real estate tycoon announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination with an attack on Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump said of McCain: "He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured."

In the years since, McCain was Trump's loudest Republican critic, especially as the president disrupted America's long-time alliances.

After Trump met in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin, McCain called it "one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory."

source: philstar.com

Tributes to John McCain, 'American patriot and hero'

Washington, UNITED STATES — Tributes continued to pour in for John McCain, the former US presidential candidate, veteran senator and war hero who has died at age 81.

Here is a selection of key quotes from home and abroad:

US presidents

President Donald Trump

"My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!"

Former president Barack Obama


"We shared, for all our differences, a fidelity to something higher -- the ideals for which generations of Americans and immigrants alike have fought, marched and sacrificed."

Former president Bill Clinton and secretary of state Hillary Clinton

"Senator John McCain believed that every citizen has a responsibility to make something of the freedoms given by our Constitution, and from his heroic service in the Navy to his 35 years in Congress, he lived by his creed every day."

Former president George W Bush

"Some lives are so vivid, it is difficult to imagine them ended. Some voices are so vibrant, it is hard to think of them stilled. John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order."

Former president George HW Bush 

"Few sacrificed more for, or contributed more to, the welfare of his fellow citizens -- and indeed freedom-loving peoples around the world."

Former president Jimmy Carter

"Americans will forever be grateful for his heroic military service and his steadfast integrity as a member of the United States Senate." 

Global leaders

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

"Senator John McCain was an American patriot and hero whose sacrifices for his country, and lifetime of public service, were an inspiration to millions."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

"Senator McCain was one of the great political figures of our time and a tireless fighter for a strong transatlantic alliance; his importance stretches far beyond his own country."

French President Emmanuel Macron

"John McCain was a true American hero. He devoted his entire life to his country. His voice will be missed. Our respectful thoughts go to his beloved ones."

British Prime Minister Theresa May

"John McCain was a great statesman, who embodied the idea of service over self. It was an honor to call him a friend of the UK. My deepest sympathies go to his family, and the American people."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu

"I will always treasure the constant friendship he showed to the people of Israel and to me personally."

Jens Stoltenberg,  secretary general of NATO

"John McCain - soldier and senator, American and Atlanticist. He will be remembered both in Europe and North America for his courage and character, and as a strong supporter of NATO. My thoughts are with his family and loved ones."

Friends, colleagues and family

Senator Lindsey Graham -- who along with McCain and former senator Joe Lieberman formed a trio dubbed the "Three Amigos":

"America and Freedom have lost one of her greatest champions. ….And I've lost one of my dearest friends and mentor. I will need some time to absorb this, but I want Cindy —and the entire McCain family — to know they are in my prayers."

Joe Lieberman

"America has lost one of the greatest patriots and public servants in our history. And I have lost a dear friend."

Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin

"Sen. John McCain was a maverick and a fighter, never afraid to stand for his beliefs."

Former secretary of state John Kerry

"John McCain was an American original — guts, grit, and ultimately grace personified. All of us were blessed by the example he shared with us of a life in service to country....To John I wish the peace he deserves with fair winds and following seas, my friend."

Former senator Harry Reid‏

"John and I both ended our final call a few weeks ago by telling each other, 'I love you,' and that was how we felt about one another. There will never be another John McCain."

Meghan McCain, his daughter:

"He was a great fire who burned bright, and we lived in his light and warmth. We know that his flame lives on in each of us." 

Cindy McCain, his wife:

"My heart is broken. I am so lucky to have lived the adventure of loving this incredible man for 38 years. He passed the way he lived, on his own terms, surrounded by the people he loved, in the place he loved best."

source: philstar.com

McCain: How to get started as a dictator? Suppress free press.

MUNICH - US Senator John McCain, defending the media against the latest attack by President Donald Trump, warned suppressing the free press was "how dictators get started."

The Arizona Republican, a frequent critic of Trump, was responding to a tweet in which Trump accused the media of being “the enemy of the American people.”

The international order established after World War Two was built in part on a free press, McCain said in an excerpt of an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that was released in advance of the full Sunday morning broadcast.

"I hate the press. I hate you especially," he told interviewer Chuck Todd from an international security conference in Munich. "But the fact is we need you. We need a free press. We must have it. It's vital."

"If you want to preserve - I'm very serious now - if you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press. And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That's how dictators get started," he continued.

"They get started by suppressing free press. In other words, a consolidation of power. When you look at history, the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press. And I'm not saying that President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I'm just saying we need to learn the lessons of history," McCain said.

McCain’s comments followed Trump’s tweet and came days after the president held a raucous news conference at which he repeatedly criticized news reports about disorder in the White House and leaks of his telephone conversations with the leaders of Mexico and Australia.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel underscored the importance of a free press at the Munich conference on Saturday, saying, "I have high respect for journalists. We've always had good results, at least in Germany, by relying on mutual respect."

Merkel did not mention Trump specifically, but called freedom of the press "a very significant pillar of democracy."

source: interaksyon.com