[Author's note: This piece was originally submitted to American Thinker but they rejected it because McCain died last August. Normally, I spike articles that were rejected, but McCain IS back in the news, and people seem to have forgotten his full history. I haven't, and I thought this piece deserved to see the light of day. On the other hand, maybe I'm not as clever as I think. If you like this article, please share it with your friends. If not (if you think Shakespeare is rolling over in his grave right now), please leave a comment advising me not to write this sort of blog post ever again.] Senator John McCain (official portrait) Friends, Republicans, fellow Americans: lend me your ears. I come here to bury John McCain, not to praise him. Quite frankly, he doesn’t deserve praise. His Senate colleagues have decreed that we cannot speak ill of the dead, and John McCain is dead. Senator Johnny Isakson (for whom I voted) proclaimed the late senator a hero and said, “Anyone who tarnishes the reputation of John McCain deserves a whipping.” Senator Mitt Romney (for whom I once voted) described John McCain as “heroic, courageous, patriotic, honorable, self-effacing, self-sacrificing, empathetic, and driven by duty to family, country, and God.” However, the evil that men do lives after them, and Senator McCain was an ambitious man. He wasn’t merely content to be a senator from Arizona and one of the most powerful people in the United States; McCain wanted to be the most powerful, the President of the United States. He ran for that office … [Read more...]
An open letter to Senator John McCain
Dear Senator McCain, I'd like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude for your time spent in military service. You showed remarkable courage under extreme duress, enduring torture by the enemy while refusing an early release, or any special treatment. As a result, you've suffered from permanent physical disabilities after six years in captivity. I have enjoyed a lifetime as a free citizen in the greatest nation on the face of the earth, because of brave warriors like you. Thank you for your service, sir. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Secondly we, the people, recently learned the very serious news about your cancer diagnosis, and I wanted to convey my sympathy to you. Twenty years ago my father died from that exact same disease, a glioblastoma tumor in his brain, so I am well aware of the challenge you face. It was shortly after his retirement that my father began acting uncharacteristically confused and disoriented. He also complained of a constant headache. An MRI confirmed that he had a large brain tumor, a glioblastoma. The neurologist diagnosed him on a Tuesday, and he had surgery the following Monday, but never regained consciousness. About two weeks later, his life support was disconnected. I'm glad your surgery was more successful than his, and I wish you the best as you continue to recover. While I'm fairly confident that a sitting U.S. Senator such as yourself has access to the very best healthcare in the world (probably much better care than a retired serviceman living in Savannah, Georgia would ever get), I do not blame my father's … [Read more...]
