The airwaves will be filled with tributes to Senator John McCain (1936-2018) in the days to come. And rightly so. McCain was one of the bravest, most decent and honorable political leaders of our time. As a Republican Senator for over four decades, many disagreed with his politics but few ever doubted his values or questioned his integrity.
McCain was exceptional in many ways. As a young Navy pilot, he found himself in a situation impossible to prepare for: held captive by the North Vietnamese for five years during which time he was tortured and faced deprivation and humiliation few could imagine. Yet when he was given the option for early release by his captors at the ‘Hanoi Hilton,’ he turned it down. It went against his conscience to do anything that might provide positive publicity for an enemy force.
