Memorials for late John McCain reflect bipartisan legacy

Tuesday, August 28, 2018  

By Carly Henry
Cronkite News
cronkitenews.azpbs.org

PHOENIX – Former Vice President Joe Biden, who years ago reached across the political aisle to become a longtime colleague and friend to Sen. John McCain, will speak Thursday at the senator’s Arizona memorial service.

“John was many things – a proud graduate of the Naval Academy, a Senate colleague, a political opponent. But, to me, more than anything, John was a friend,” Biden said in a statement on Twitter.

Davis referred to the longtime friendship between Biden, a Democrat, and McCain, a Republican.

“He’s always had an incredibly close and personal relationship with Joe Biden,” Davis said. “It’s been tested over the years on issue after issue, and yet, they’ve remained steadfast in their personal relationship.”

Biden and McCain remained close even after Biden became running mate and vice president to Barack Obama, who defeated McCain in the 2008 presidential race. Biden was among the stream of visitors arriving in the past several weeks at McCain’s home in Cornville, near Sedona.

At a news conference at the state Capitol, Davis said McCain affected people in and out of politics.

“He was truly authentic. He strove everyday to tell the truth, and when he didn’t, he reminded you that he hadn’t told the truth,” Davis said. “He touched so many lives. He knew so many people, but he was always an inspiration to those people.”

The Arizona services will be followed by a public memorial service Friday at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., where McCain will lie in state. An invitation-only service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at Washington National Cathedral. Both services will be live-streamed.

Davis said McCain will be buried Sunday at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, near his best friend, Adm. Charles “Chuck” Larson. McCain and Larson, who died in 2014, roomed together at Annapolis and completed flight school in 1960.

For more stories from Cronkite News, visit cronkitenews.azpbs.org.

Sen. John McCain says farewell (August 27, 2018)
White House reverses course, returns flag to half-staff to honor McCain (August 27, 2018)
Sen. McCain to lie in state at Arizona Capitol on Wednesday; mourners continue to pay respects (August 26, 2018)
Experts say Ducey faces ‘unenviable’ task in picking McCain replacement (August 26, 2018)
n the sports arena, John McCain also packed a punch (August 26, 2018)
‘You are not forgotten’: Arizona residents honor John McCain (August 25, 2018)
‘We are a better, stronger country because of him’: Political leaders reflect on Sen. John McCain (August 25, 2018)
Sen. John McCain dies one year after brain cancer diagnosis, leaves legacy of leadership (August 25, 2018)

This story originally appeared on Cronkite News and is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

Richard Monette: John McCain has been a genuine hero for Native America (August 27, 2018)
Mark Trahant: John McCain and his legacy in Indian Country (August 27, 2018)