Former President Barack Obama delivered a glowing eulogy at the late Sen. John McCain’s funeral service Saturday morning that urged American citizens and leaders to follow McCain’s example and abandon “mean and petty” politics.
In his remarks, Obama said a fitting celebration of the former senator’s life would come in “trying to do better” and be worthy of the “great inheritance that our founders bestowed,” on the country.
“So much of our politics, our public life, our public discourse can seem small and mean and petty,” Obama said. “Trafficking in bombast and insult, and phony controversies, and manufactured outrage. It’s a politics that pretends to be brave and tough but, in fact, is born of fear.”
Obama continued: “John called on us to be bigger than that. He called on us to be better than that.”
“It’s demanded of all of us as citizens of this great republic,” Obama said. “That’s perhaps how we honour him best. By recognising that there are some things bigger than party or ambition or money or fame or power. That there’s some things that are worth risking everything principles that are eternal. Truths that are abiding.”
One of McCain’s former opponents in the race to the presidency, Obama said it was McCain’s ability to look beyond party lines in the name of service that made him an exemplary leader.
“We were standard bearers of different American political traditions and throughout my presidency, John never hesitated to tell me when he thought I was screwing up, which by his calculation was about once a day,” Obama
“But for all our differences … 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. Read more