Delaware political leaders mourned U.S. Sen. John McCain who died Saturday. He was 81.
McCain, a longtime senator from Arizona, died of an aggressive form of brain cancer.
Former Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Senator from Delaware offered the following:
“John McCain’s life is proof that some truths are timeless. Character. Courage. Integrity. Honor. A life lived embodying those truths casts a long, long shadow. John McCain will cast a long shadow. His impact on America hasn’t ended. Not even close. It will go on for many years to come.”
“As a POW, John endured the worst of what human beings can do to one another. In politics, he fell short of his greatest ambition. At the end of his life, he faced a cruel and relentless disease. And yet through it all he never lost sight of what he believed most: Country First. And the spirit that drove him was never extinguished: we are here to commit ourselves to something bigger than ourselves.”
“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. America will miss John McCain. The world will miss John McCain. And I will miss him dearly.”
Biden squared off against McCain as the running-mate of former President Barack Obama but remained a friend.
U.S. Tom Carper, D-DE, served with McCain for decades both in the Senate and House.
“Today, our nation lost a true hero. While we have had a little over a year to prepare for this moment, time has not made preparing for this great loss any easier. I was privileged to serve with John McCain for several years, first in the House of Representatives and then for the past 17 years in the Senate. As freshman congressmen, he and I bonded over having both served in the Navy at the same time in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Later we worked on recovering the missing remains of our fallen soldiers, and our efforts, along with the efforts of others, led to normalized relations between the U.S. and Vietnam.”
“We were both taught in the military to lead by example, and John did that every single day. He walked out of step when it was the right thing to do, he put his country above party, and we could use more leaders like him in public service.”
U.S. Sen. Chris Coons offered the following:
“Traveling with John to a dozen countries, including to a refugee camp in Jordan, a military base in Afghanistan and to the Hỏa Lò Prison in Hanoi, where he was held captive and tortured as a POW for more than five years, has taught me about America’s roles and responsibilities in the world. I’ve seen John represent our country in ways few are able to – delivering tough, principled messages to foreign leaders who didn’t always want to hear them, commanding immediate respect at international gatherings, and even showing the grace to extend a hand of friendship in a country where he endured the unthinkable. In every one of those instances, John not only spoke for the United States, he embodied the principles and traditions that make this country exceptional.”
“Most of all, I will miss John as a friend and colleague.”
