Al Franken on John McCain's passing [View all]

[babylonsister]

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12 mins ·

I met John for the first time when he gave a eulogy for a mutual friend in 1994. The friend, David Ifshin, had been an anti-war protester during Vietnam and had gone to North Vietnam with Jane Fonda. Radio Hanoi blasted Ifshin’s and Fonda’s denunciations of our involvement in the war, and John got to listen to it from his cell at the Hanoi Hilton.

Years later, Ifshin was legal counsel for Walter Mondale’s 1984 presidential campaign. McCain, a House member at the time, blasted Mondale for having this despicable guy on his campaign. Ifshin came to the Hill, went to McCain’s office and apologized to him. McCain said, “No, I should apologize. You’re an American and were exercising your First Amendment rights.” The two became good friends and worked together to normalize relations between the U.S. and Vietnam.

This is a pretty typical John McCain story. First, he gets mad at you and then works with you to get something done. John yelled at me after I cast my first vote in the Senate. It was a McCain amendment on a Defense Appropriations Bill that would have cut anti-terrorist funding to bus lines. I had no idea how to vote, but I figured terrorists might want to target a bus at some time or other. I voted “aye,” and John, standing in the well, yelled at me, “So this is what your Senate career is going to be about!? Voting for pork!”

Soon after we worked together on reimportation of prescription drugs. We both live in border states and know how absurd it is for Americans to have to cross the border to get the exact same American manufactured drugs for a fraction of the cost.

Unfortunately, neither of us will be there on the floor to see that become law.

In 2014, Harry Reid persuaded John to tell the whole story of his captivity in Vietnam at a bipartisan lunch. It’s the first time he had talked about those five terrible years to his colleagues, and it was unbelievably moving for all of us. Later that afternoon, we had votes and I went up to him on the floor. “John, that was amazing today at lunch. Thank you for telling your story.”

John smiled modestly and nodded, “Thank you, Al.”

“Now, how much of it was actually true?” I asked. John grinned that big grin of his and laughed.

Our last conversation was during a series of late night votes before he went home to Arizona. He was very sick from the treatments for the cancer, but holding court, giving off love, smiles, and good humor from his wheelchair.

A man of amazing courage. A man who knew the meaning of honor and lived it. A true patriot.