Arizona Sen. John McCain, a war hero who survived five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, served three decades in Congress and went on to become the Republican Partys nominee for president in 2008, died Saturday. He was 81 years old.
In his last hours, McCain turned down further treatment, his family announced in a statement.
McCain was diagnosed with brain cancer in July 2017. Doctors discovered the tumor during a medical procedure to remove a blood clot from above his left eye. He remained upbeat after the diagnosis, flying back to Washington days after surgery with a large scar visible above his eye to partake in the Senates health care debate.
I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support - unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, I'll be back soon, so stand-by! McCain tweeted on July 20 after his diagnosis.
On Friday, his family issued a statement saying,Last summer, Senator John McCain shared with Americans the news our family already knew: he had been diagnosed with an aggressive glioblastoma, and the prognosis was serious. In the year since, John has surpassed expectations for his survival. But the progress of disease and the inexorable advance of age render their verdict." John S. McCain III is escorted by Lt. Cmdr. Jay Coupe Jr., public relations officer, March 14, 1973, to Hanoi's Gia Lam Airport after the POW was released. (AP Photo/Horst Faas)
John McCain escorted to Hanoi airport on March 14, 1973 after being released from prison (AP Photo/ Horst Faas)
They added, "With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment."
McCain was born in 1936 in the Panama Canal Zone, where his father was stationed in the Navy. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1958, McCain went to Vietnam.
In 1967, his A4 Skyhawk was hit by a surface-to-air missile over Hanoi. McCain was captured by the North Vietnamese, who tortured and beat him for more than five years. He was in solitary confinement for several of those years.
My room was fairly decent-sized - Id say about 10 by 10, McCain would later write. The door was solid. There were no windows. The only ventilation came from two small holes at the top in the ceiling, about 6 inches by 4 inches. The roof was tin, and it got hot as hell in there.
His captors offered him early release after learning his father was a notable naval officer. But McCain refused to leave before the other prisoners. He was released in 1973.
McCains injuries from his imprisonment were visible the rest of his life, most noticeably the restricted movement of his arms.
McCain got a taste of politics in 1976, when he served as the Navys liaison to the Senate.
In 1982, McCain was elected to the House of Representatives. Only a few years later, in 1986, he won the race to replace Arizonas conservative Sen. Barry Goldwater. U.S. Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain (R-AZ) (R) is joined by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at a campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio October 31, 2008. McCain is on a two-day campaign bus tour through the state of Ohio. REUTERS/Brian Snyder (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA) - GM1E4B10JME01
U.S. Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain (R-AZ) (R) is joined by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger at a campaign rally in Columbus, Ohio October 31, 2008. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder )
He was implicated in what became known as the Keating Five Scandal in 1989, accused with several other lawmakers of helping the owner of the Lincoln Savings and Loan, who had donated to his campaign.
McCain ran twice for president. In 2000, he ran for the Republican nomination for president, winning New Hampshires primary but losing the nomination to George W. Bush.
In 2008, he defeated a host of Republican candidates to win the GOP nomination for president.
He was responsible for introducing then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to a national audience by tapping her as his running mate. The McCain-Palin ticket went on to lose the general election to Barack Obama, who became the countrys first black president.
For years, McCain declined to call his choice of Palin a mistake. But in his upcoming book, The Restless Wave, McCain reportedly writes that he regrets not choosing his friend, then-Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, as his running mate, calling it another mistake that I made. Lieberman, the 2000 Democratic nominee for vice president, was an independent who caucused with Democrats.
After the 2008 loss, McCain returned to the Senate, embracing his role as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
During his last years in politics, he had a complicated relationship with President Trump, who infamously attacked McCain during the GOP primary. In May, the McCain family was offended when it was reported that Trump aide Kelly Sadler dismissed McCain's opposition to the presidents choice for CIA director by quipping during a private meeting, "It doesn't matter, he's dying anyway."
According to the New York Times, McCain has made clear to the White House he doesnt want Trump to attend his funeral, and would instead prefer Vice President Mike Pence at a service.
McCain is survived by his wife Cindy, seven children and five grandchildren.
Some will mourn his passing, some will not !!
#1: Hank Rearden To: Stoner (#0)
Thank God the old bastard is finally gone, having arrogantly refused to represent his constituents for the last year nor get the hell out of the way and give them an opportunity to elect his replacement. Instead, he undoubtedly sold his seat.
Perhaps this line from old Navy guys sums him (and his flying skills) up best: "If Songbird hadn't been captured when he was, the Navy would have run out of airplanes."
Fvck him.
Hank Rearden posted on 2018-08-25 21:01:52 Reply Private Reply
#2: GrandIsland To: Stoner (#0)
Time to snap a cold IPA.
GrandIsland posted on 2018-08-25 21:19:18 Reply Private Reply
#3: Hondo68 To: Stoner, tater, Gatlin (#0)
Cindy will fill the seat until Meghan is elected by the Arizona Canaries, aka Gatlin's cult.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-08-25 21:24:58 Reply Private Reply
#4: buckeroo To: Hank Rearden, A K A Stone (#1)
Stone actually voted for this punk; I think he was enamored with Palin, though. Stone never rationalized his choices; and there is no requirement.
I will say, McCain attempted to merge collectivist concepts into LAW. He was the Republican formation of the Democratic Schumer, which I never understood.
buckeroo posted on 2018-08-25 21:26:20 Reply Private Reply
#5: buckeroo To: GrandIsland (#2)
Please don't operate your vehicle on the open road under the influence of alcohol. It is possible you could lose your government suckup job.
buckeroo posted on 2018-08-25 21:33:00 Reply Private Reply
#6: Stoner To: hondo68 (#3)
Stoner posted on 2018-08-25 21:40:00 Reply Private Reply
#7: Vicomte13 To: buckeroo (#4)
So did I, in his primary against W Bush, and then again when he ran against Obama. Good votes, both of those.
Vicomte13 posted on 2018-08-25 22:15:18 Reply Private Reply
#8: buckeroo To: Vicomte13 (#7)
I admit that you are insane.
buckeroo posted on 2018-08-25 22:20:26 Reply Private Reply
#9: Hondo68 To: buckeroo, A K A Stone (#4)
Stone voted for Chuck Baldwin in '08, if I'm not mistaken.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-08-25 22:23:12 Reply Private Reply
#10: Vicomte13 To: buckeroo (#8)
Vicomte13 posted on 2018-08-25 22:30:25 Reply Private Reply
#11: buckeroo To: Vicomte13, boris (#10)
buckeroo posted on 2018-08-25 22:35:41 Reply Private Reply
#12: Hondo68 To: Vicomte13, buckeroo, Fred Mertz, *Neo-Lib Chickenhawk Wars*, Wahhabi Don, A K A Stone (#10)
You Bush/Obama/Trump/Hillary neocons love abortions at any age.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-08-25 22:47:27 Reply Private Reply
#13: Fred Mertz To: hondo68 (#12)
I wish I had something nice to say about McCain. May he Rest in Peace.
Fred Mertz posted on 2018-08-25 23:12:51 Reply Private Reply
#14: Hondo68 To: Fred Mertz (#13)
Hondo68 posted on 2018-08-26 00:58:47 Reply Private Reply
#15: sneakypete To: Stoner (#0)
A lie. He was ordered to refuse.
sneakypete posted on 2018-08-26 01:04:50 Reply Private Reply
#16: Vicomte13 To: hondo68 (#12)
We're not.
Vicomte13 posted on 2018-08-26 06:41:54 Reply Private Reply
#17: misterwhite To: Hank Rearden (#1)
misterwhite posted on 2018-08-26 08:27:07 Reply Private Reply
#18: misterwhite To: hondo68 (#12)
Damn those Saudi's, huh?
misterwhite posted on 2018-08-26 08:33:19 Reply Private Reply
#19: Hondo68 To: Vicomte13, *The Two Parties ARE the Same*, full of murdering abortionists (#16)
You're the government, and so am I. The difference is that you voted for an abortionist who signed onto a HUGE appropriation for PP and also ordered the US Military to help bomb those kids, and I did NOT vote for that psychotic murderer Trump.
Their blood is on your hands, and those of your comrades who are addicted to voting for the evil D&R party. Implications that you had to, because he's "better than Hillary" are absurd. They're both POS's, find something better to vote for!
This is a big country, and 99.999% of the people in it are better than Hillary & Trump.
Insane abortionist logic
Hondo68 posted on 2018-08-26 08:37:04 Reply Private Reply
#20: Hondo68 To: misterwhite (#18)
Yep.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-08-26 08:43:26 Reply Private Reply
#21: misterwhite To: hondo68 (#14)
misterwhite posted on 2018-08-26 09:09:37 Reply Private Reply
#22: Justified To: hondo68 (#19)
Your insane. US is one of the countries that goes out of its way to not harm civilians!
These types of statements are reminiscent of "Baby killers" which were false too.
You are listening to propaganda from our enemies. This is Saul Alinsky statements and once said can't be taken back and have done the damage.
Justified posted on 2018-08-26 09:15:47 Reply Private Reply
#23: Justified To: Stoner (#0)
I feel sorry for the family but his rein of terror is over!
Justified posted on 2018-08-26 09:17:37 Reply Private Reply
#24: Hondo68 To: Justified (#22)
Not surprising for a McCain/Trump voter.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-08-26 09:46:50 Reply Private Reply
#25: A K A Stone To: Stoner (#0)
A K A Stone posted on 2018-08-26 10:12:31 Reply Private Reply
#26: A K A Stone To: hondo68 (#9)
Incorrect. I voted for Palin.
A K A Stone posted on 2018-08-26 10:14:16 Reply Private Reply
#27: Justified To: hondo68 (#24)
There is a difference between enemy using civilians(women and children) as a shield. Military does its very best not to harm our enemies women and children even thou they support our enemy. 90% of the military out there would not give a shit and go the old fashion way and kill everything including animals to harm their enemies.
If you want me to defend McCrazy you will pass away long before that happens!
Justified posted on 2018-08-26 10:30:19 Reply Private Reply
#28: Justified To: misterwhite (#21)
Its funny what we use to like to listen too as kids. Now I just listen to the music to take me back to better days. My father did a very good job of shielding us from the Vietnam war and all the crap going on at that time.
Justified posted on 2018-08-26 10:34:49 Reply Private Reply
#29: Hank Rearden To: hondo68 (#12)
Hank Rearden posted on 2018-08-26 10:40:24 Reply Private Reply
#30: Hank Rearden To: Stoner (#0)
"They say when somebody dies you're not supposed to say anything bad, only good.
John McStain is dead. Good."
Hank Rearden posted on 2018-08-26 10:41:35 Reply Private Reply
#31: Justified To: Hank Rearden (#30)
Thanks for the laugh!
Justified posted on 2018-08-26 10:48:00 Reply Private Reply
#32: misterwhite To: Justified (#28)
Not that many songs today that they'll be playing 50 years from now. But songs from the 60's and 70's will live on because those groups had actual talent.
misterwhite posted on 2018-08-26 10:57:35 Reply Private Reply
#33: Hondo68 To: A K A Stone, buckeroo (#26)
McCain! Buckeroo was right.
POW/MIA cover up.
Hondo68 posted on 2018-08-26 11:02:57 Reply Private Reply
#34: Vicomte13 To: hondo68 (#19)
He signed a huge apportionment for Planned Parenthood. Yes, he did. And I will vote for his re- election in spite of that. I want to stop abortion, but I do not support simply stopping abortion without first putting into place the social welfare structures necessary to handle 1 million new poor babies a year. Pragmatically, it is better to abort them than to have them born, starve, and grow into a burgeoning crime problem.
So, Hondo, you ready to sign onto the building up of a social welfare state that is large enough to handle a million more poor kids per year, year on year, because thats what we will get if abortion is outlawed. I am willing to spend what is necessary to get what we need to be able to stop abortion. As long as you and your ilk will not permit the social welfare state to be built out to take care of that tidal wave of poor babies, then the way I see it youre really the one forcing Roe to remain the law of the land, and forcing Planned Parenthood to be a necessary thing.
I see these issues as fundamentally linked: to outlaw abortion completely, the social welfare state has to grow substantially. There is no other way to get there politically or humanely. I know that. You and your ilk will never admit it, so you are the one responsible for the necessity of continued abortion on demand, not me.
I know you dont see it that way, but I dont care.
You say I ordered the US military to help bomb those kids. Well, I do support the US military supporting the states that are our allies for preserving the peace for my people and our allies. The problem in Saudi and the MIddle East is Islam. Its a crazy, violent theology that dominates the thinking of a great number of those people. Its not susceptible to reason, so we have to fight it where it threatens to overturn the order of ourselves and our allies. Id prefer that we didnt, but we do. And that means killing people sometimes. Any time force is used, whether by the military or the police, there is collateral damage. Its an ugly reality of the world. We cannot maintain a standard of perfection and maintain our country. So, given the choice between supporting allies that use violence to keep even greater savagery at bay (Saudi Arabia), or abandoning our allies to their fate (like we did the Shah of Iran), I think it wisest to defend what we already have. Letting the Shah fall did not reduce the bloodshed in Iran and elsewhere, it increased it. Its a choice, and yes, I do choose to support maintaining our empire with force, because it is better, on balance than the alternative. If I were President, or King, I would go about the defense differently in some places, but ultimately I would send forces to kill people, and support allies who did the same, if that is what was required to maintain order. And it IS what is required to maintain order.
Both Democrat and Republican leaders understand that basic equation, as I see it the primary difference between the two parties is mostly a matter of style, not substance. I didnt think that Clinton or Obama were disastrous, and I didnt think that either Bush was great.
I do like great leadership and strong vision, and good-tempered people, so my type of President is an FDR, an Ike, a JFK and a Reagan - even though I disagree with various policies of each.
Truman and Trump are cut from the same cloth: not very diplomatic, but with good instincts most of the time. Theyre both acceptable.
I would have liked for Jimmy Carter to succeed, because his heart was in the right place, but he was not a strong leader, and was really unlucky on big things (the Iran operation crash in the desert), and on small things (attacked by a rabbit while in a rowboat...I mean, REALLY?)
So when you say that Im D&R Party, well, yeah, kinda. Im an Independent, I do prefer Republicans in general, but not by much. And I dont perceive the country as going to hell in a handbasket when the Democrats are in charge. I thought that Obama and Clinton both did a decent job. Hillarys corruption and arrogance were maddening, and Im glad she lost, but had she won I think the country would have been alright. Essentially, she would have been a Democrat Nixon. He wasnt great, because of his personality mainly, but he wasnt calamitous either.
You boil with rage at the situation, and call me a murderer, essentially, because I am more content with the status quo than you are. Its a good thing youre not God, or else I would be in trouble, I guess. As it is, I am a lot less agitated by politics than you are because, grosso modo, I see a pretty good system moving in a pretty good direction, just in need of reforms in a lot of ways to make it much better. You see a cesspool and thing sliding into perdition. Too bad for you, I guess.
But am I guilty of basically supporting our system - even as I grouse about things I dont like? Sure. Why not.
Vicomte13 posted on 2018-08-26 11:05:02 Reply Private Reply
#35: buckeroo To: A K A Stone, hondo68 (#33)
ROTFL ... evading the direct issue, 'eh?
buckeroo posted on 2018-08-26 12:44:58 Reply Private Reply
#36: Hank Rearden To: Stoner (#0)
That makes me happy all over again.
Hank Rearden posted on 2018-08-26 15:03:33 Reply Private Reply
#37: Stoner To: All (#0)
Except Tater, who is most likely still crying his eyes out, gnashing his teeth, and pulling his hair out !!! Wah, wah, wah
Stoner posted on 2018-08-26 15:08:45 Reply Private Reply
#38: CZ82 To: Stoner (#37)
Very true.
Not that he's passed away the next order of business is who is AZ Governor Doug Ducey going to appoint as his replacement??
Ducey has had his moments both for and against Trump so you have to wonder if he'll appoint another establishment asshole or maybe someone better...
CZ82 posted on 2018-08-26 15:42:10 Reply Private Reply
#39: Stoner To: CZ82 (#38)
Do not know.
I have read a few weeks ago some speculation that the Gov was likely to appoint the Stains wife, Cindy. Read earlier today on another board people were speculating that the Gov would appoint Cindy to serve until his daughter, Meghan ?, was old enough to run. You are probably right that it will end up being an asshole !
I would really like to see a really staunch conservative take the seat !
Time will tell.
Stoner posted on 2018-08-26 16:17:25 Reply Private Reply
#40: no gnu taxes To: Stoner (#0)
no gnu taxes posted on 2018-08-26 22:54:25 Reply Private Reply
#41: CZ82 To: Stoner (#0)
CZ82 posted on 2018-09-08 08:00:19 Reply Private Reply
#42: Stoner To: CZ82 (#41)
Stoner posted on 2018-09-08 10:51:14 Reply Private Reply
#43: CZ82 To: Stoner (#42)
I just love it when they show their true selves, don't you?
lol
CZ82 posted on 2018-09-08 14:32:57 Reply Private Reply
#44: GrandIsland To: Stoner (#0)
GrandIsland posted on 2018-09-08 16:18:55 Reply Private Reply