Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks on the Senate floor at the Capitol in Washington, next to the desk of Sen. He said McCain was considered a war hero “because he was captured” and said he liked “people that weren’t captured”.
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Graham delivered what he called his “after-action report” on McCain, referring to the analysis by military personnel after an operation. “What I don’t want is to establish a precedent so something named after John McCain is named after somebody else in the future”. If you want to help me, join the march.
“John taught us how to lose”, he said.
McCain and Graham’s friendship dates back to the 1990s.
“I’m a Southerner”, Shelby said.”Russell was a man of his time, OK?”
“You know Richard Russell was … from the South, and I’m sure not flawless like George Washington and everybody else in his days, but he was a well-respected senator”, Shelby said.
Graham spent almost 20 minutes joking about and embracing McCain’s flaws as the seats around him started to fill in a bit. Jeff Flake, McCain’s fellow Arizona Republican, signed on as a co-sponsor.
The two senators were long-time allies and personally close. Senators from both sides of the aisle paid tribute, sharing personal stories despite professional differences. He gave a concession speech in which he humbly noted, “President Obama is my president”.
Instead, Graham mentioned his mentor’s failed attempts at immigration reform, his belief in climate change and compromise.
‘The President told John Kelly ‘Whatever they need they get, ‘ so let’s look forward, ‘ Graham said. “I’m just going to try to do the best I can”.
During Tuesday’s 10-minute speech on the Senate floor, Hatch spoke on the trials of McCain’s time as a prisoner of war – and how they shaped him, his run as the Republican nominee for president in 2008 and his 32-year tenure as Arizona’s senator. “I would have been sixth from the bottom, not fifth”, Graham said he would say.
“Country first means that even if it’s inconvenient for you and it makes you uncomfortable, you do it anyway”, Graham said.
By the time Graham was reading, and riffing, from a white legal pad with handwritten notes, he was in tears. He also had a legendary wit and temper that made learning from and working with him complicated, according to some of the tributes.
McCain nominated Dole for president in 1996, and considered him a friend and a mentor.
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“The flag is down”, Graham said.
