Reflections on a Politician without being Political

With the passing of John McCain we’ve seen the closing of an era if not an icon. My senior year in college saw McCain enter the US Senate, representing the State of Arizona to which he held that position until his death last week. He was a decorated Vietnam POW war hero. He championed conservative policies. And he was the Republican pick for the presidency in 2008.

As I reflect on his passing, I can’t help but draw on some of his strengths worth highlighting. He was by no means a perfect man, as noted below, but there were still good qualities about this man who served his country.

He Readily Admitted His Failures . . . somewhat surprising, his wife of forty years, Cindy, was not his first wife. In 1965 he married Carol Shepp. But seven years after returning from Vietnam they divorced so that he could marry Cindy Hensley. One could easily make a number of excuses as to why his marriage to Carol failed. He was tortured as a POW and surely suffered from what we know today as PTSD. Upon his return to the states he started “acting out” by having one “fling” after another. Yet he readily owned up to his mistakes by admitting that divorcing Carol was his “. . . greatest moral failure.” In a society that downplays such failures, glosses over them, and even defends or denies them, it’s refreshing to hear painful regret coming from the highest levels of our nation.

He Was Guided By Principles, Not By Party . . . while McCain was a Republican, he often broke with his party for what he believed to be “a greater good.” It earned him the nickname, “Maverick.” He pushed to cut spending, he pressed for campaign finance reform, and he voiced his displeasure for the strategic approach to the Iraq War. All of which came in opposition to his own party, alienating himself from his own fellow Republican Senators. In a time when party loyalty trumps the American people, McCain put the American people’s needs above party loyalty.

He Reached Across the Aisle . . . two ways exist to get things accomplished in D.C. The first is to hold a majority where you never need bi-partisan support. Since that rarely happens, the second way is to implement a more honorable approach: work with both parties for a solution. McCain was often conciliatory with the Democrats including reconciling with John Kerry over the Vietnam War and readily praising his opponent in the 2008 election as being an honorable man whom he disagreed with on policy. In an era of villainizing opponents, it’s been refreshing to see someone intentionally work with liberals and conservatives alike.

He Suffered Worse than Any of Us . . . he spent five years as a POW with two of those years in solitary confinement. He suffered a broken leg and both arms when his plane was shot down, and after being “rescued” by the enemy, they crushed his shoulders. While in prison, the Vietnamese refused to offer any hospital care for him. And when they discovered that he was the son of an Admiral, they were willing to release him. McCain refused preferential treatment but insisted those imprisoned the longest get released first. Next time you’re having a bad day, just remind yourself that “John McCain had it worst.”

McCain was far from perfect but he modeled virtues embraced by the Christian faith. We confess our sins (James 5:16; 1 John 1:8-9). We uphold principles over party loyalty (1 Corinthians 1:10-17; Philippians 3:4b-11). We seek unity (1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Galatians 5:13-15; Ephesians 4:11-13; Philippians 2:1-4). And finally, the One we follow calls us to suffer for his Name’s sake (Luke 9:23; Acts 5:41; 9:16).

Soli Deo Gloria! |
(i.e. only God is glorified!)