Four Former Presidents on America at 250

In my post on Independence Day, I offered some thoughts on our country's semiquincentennial; here's a snippet.

I believe in our founding principles of equality and the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. I believe we are a nation of immigrants. That includes my ancestor who came over on the Mayflower and the rest who started our various family lines here, and in my opinion, we need to remain one going forward. We are a nation of resisters, too, and need to remain one.

I believe we can continue our experiment and grow our nation, and that someone, somehow, will rise to the occasion, motivate all of us to become better Americans, and bring us back from what so often feels like the brink of disaster, if "man is indeed the rational, moral creature, capable of self-control for the greater good," as most thought in 1776, and as I remember most did in 1976 when I graduated high school.

In today's post, I've pulled together excerpts from the statements shared by our four former presidents, folks who fought for and gained the Oval Office, and who tried to lead us forward to what our founders envisioned - a more perfect union. I've linked their full statements as well, and yes, I'll do a deeper dive into the current president's thoughts in a separate post. 

First up? Bill Clinton. This excerpt follows comments on some of the day's hot topics, including ICE, war, the weaponization of the government, our history being rewritten, and what he calls "socialism for the super-rich."

Our Founders were wise when they gave us our mission to form a more perfect union.  They knew America would never be perfect but could always be better. That’s what they meant by “more perfect.”  We’ve done that by being courageous enough to acknowledge our flaws and missteps—and then bold enough to leave them behind for brighter tomorrows.

That’s the lesson of our first 250 years: we can always do better. In how we treat one another, in person and online; in building a better future for ourselves, our families, and our communities; and in standing up, showing up, and speaking out for our democracy.

There is still nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what’s right with America. We see it in the people lining up to vote, no matter how hard some may try to prevent them. We see it in those bringing groceries to their neighbors, donating to charities in record numbers, and serving their country and communities in countless ways. And we see it in the immigrants eager to bring their talents, hard work, and dreams to our country.

So today, celebrate the miracle that has brought us this far. I know I will, because I love my country so much. Then tomorrow, wake up, and ask yourself what part you will play to keep making our union more perfect by keeping our country in the future business. We owe that much to those who struggled and sacrificed to bring us this far, and to our children and grandchildren who soon will inherit that future.

Next? George W. Bush. His thoughts were released in a question-and-answer form, with the questions designed to elicit positive responses - and there is nothing wrong with taking a purely optimistic outlook on where we are today. 

What unites our country as we celebrate 250 years?  I view the freedoms that we cherish, the freedom to worship the way you want to worship, the freedom for the press to hold the powerful to account, the freedom to vote, the freedom to realize dreams as values that can unite us as we head for the next 250 years.

What gives you hope for our next 250 years? One of the facets of our society that is overlooked too often is the fact that there are many people, particularly the young, who are willing to help a neighbor in need, who man homeless shelters or help with soup kitchens without the government telling them to do so. They’re motivated by love of their fellow citizens. It is what I call the “armies of compassion.” I’m pleased to report the “armies of compassion” remain strong today, and so long as they do remain strong, I’m very optimistic about the future of the next generation.

What will our future success require? The next 250 years require Americans to be citizens, not spectators. [It] requires Americans to take an active interest in the health and welfare of our country and the communities in which they live, the schools, and the churches. It requires Americans to vote, to be involved in the democratic process. You may not like the outcomes of the elections, but one should focus on the fact that the capacity to vote to determine our country’s future is a powerful freedom, which we should honor.

Next? Barack Obama. This excerpt followed his thoughts on the Declaration of Independence, born of revolution, and its promises to the people of equality, freedom, and our rights.

It had not been done before, and the success of this experiment was never a given. In forming our union, the founders fell terribly short of the Declaration's promise, leaving slavery intact, allowing states to restrict the franchise to white men who owned property, but in drafting a constitution and a bill of rights, they did have the foresight to provide us with a framework that allows each generation to make our union more perfect.

And over more than two centuries, through petitions and protests, marches and strikes, moral appeals from the pulpit and conversations at the family dinner table, men and women from all walks of life of every color, every faith, and every region took up the cause of democracy and made it their own, until "We the people" came to include not just some of us, but all of us.

Now we can't get complacent - we still have so much work to do to protect our democracy and build a future that is more equitable for all.

Finally, Joe Biden. After musing on founding the country on an idea, rather than things like geography or ethnicity - and how that's what makes America exceptional - he noted that over the course of our history, we've had to keep choosing the idea over all other options, and how that remains our obligation.

There’s nothing guaranteed about our democracy. We have to fight for it, defend it, and earn it. Over and over, year after year. That’s not a burden. That’s what it means to be an American. 

250 years in, we still haven’t fully lived up to those words in the Declaration. But we’ve never walked away from them, and this July 4, I hope all of us can commit to one thing: that we never will. I don’t believe we’re as divided as we’re told we are. I’ve bet my whole life on the American people, and I’m not stopping now.

Happy 250th birthday, America. Our story isn’t finished. Let’s keep writing it together.

In my opinion, each of the messages hit the mark; the former presidents all called on us to recognize where we started, where we are, what it took to get here, and that we can't stop trying to achieve what the founders envisioned when they declared our independence.

What do you think? Did they get it right? Drop a comment.

Poll Watch: A Lack of Seriousness

We're in the middle of an "all-Afghanistan, all the time" news cycle, as you're aware, and that means everyone's tripping over themselves trying to get the most provocative story that can be found. 

As is always the case when we're in this type of frenzy, Twitter is a fun place to hang out for a few minutes here and there. And it was in one of those few-minutes-here-and-there sessions that I stumbled on this survey. The tweet that caught my eye said "tell me again how we're a serious country" - and I simply had to read the linked article, which documented the responses to an IPSOS Snap Poll on Afghanistan.

First, the small print: online, English-language interviews with 1,000 adults from all 50 of the United States were done on August 16th. The survey included 247 Republicans, 443 Democrats, and 310 Independents, and has a 3.5% credibility interval at a 95% confidence level. Additional sampling info is in the link. 

I've seen surveys that illustrated a lack of clarity, but one that led to the questioning of our seriousness as a nation was new to me. Let's see if we can figure out why the poster felt that way.

Overall, 71% of respondents expressed familiarity with our involvement in Afghanistan over the last 20 years and with the US plans to withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan; 68% are familiar with the rapid success of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Independents are less familiar (or more honest?) with 64%, 64%, and 58% respectively, while the Republicans (R) and Democrats (D) were about 75% on each topic.

With more specific questions, answers start to take an interesting, if somewhat confusing, turn. For example:

• Only 50% overall (54% R, 53% D, 45% I) support sending combat troops back in to fight the Taliban - but 68% overall (71% R, 72% D, 62% I) support troops fighting the Taliban to allow time to evacuate Afghans. Which leads one to wonder, if we don't send the troops in, how will they fight the Taliban?

Meanwhile, there's a lot of support for the US to complete our troop withdrawal on schedule, currently meaning by August 31st. Overall, 61% of respondents support this; Republicans (48%) less than either the Independents (60%) or the Dems (72%).

The next questions asked for the level of agreement or disagreement with a series of statements. 

• While 61% want us to complete our exit on time, 51% agree it would have been worth it for the US to leave troops in Afghanistan for another year. Disagreement with this statement is consistent, at 32% overall and similar percentages by political affiliation. 

• We don't want our troops fighting the Taliban, but we also don't seem to mind America sending in additional troops to secure key facilities (airports, embassies, bases) until the US withdrawal is complete. Everyone agrees with this - 75% overall, 81% R, 75%D and 70% I, even though doing so would set us up for fighting the Taliban.

• The war in Afghanistan was going to end badly, no matter when the US left, also brought broad agreement, at 68%. By affiliation, Independents (40% agree, 33% disagree) were the outlier; the Rs (64%/25%) and Ds (78%/14%) were more in the mainstream.

• The rapid collapse of US-trained Afghan forces, and the government, is evidence why the US should get out of the conflict saw 63% of respondents in agreement. Dems agreed more (73%), with Republicans (56%agree/30% disagree) and Independents (58%/20%) less agreeable.

The final question, Have the following generally done a good or bad job in relation to Afghanistan, is the one that most accurately portrays our lack of seriousness as a country, in my opinion. 

TG=Total Good TB= Total Bad	All		R		D		I
	TG	TB	TG	TB	TG	TB	TG	TB
Bush Administration	47%	39%	55%	37%	51%	38%	37%	42%
Obama Administration	51%	38%	31%	63%	77%	15%	42%	39%
Trump Administration	51%	36%	83%	10%	36%	55%	39%	40%
Biden Administration	44%	42%	21%	74%	75%	12%	32%	46%
American news media	42%	44%	28%	65%	65%	22%	32%	38%
US military	77%	14%	85%	11%	78%	15%	69%	15%

It seems the Dubya administration was the last one where abject partisanship wasn't in play. Then we had the black president, the TV host president, and now we have the old guy, who's only been in office for seven months, and the only thing that matters seems to be party affiliation, absent that weird bit of balance from the Dems on Trump's handling of this mess.

• 63% of Republicans say that the administration that got Osama bin Laden did a totally bad job? Seriously? That's why we went there, remember?

• 77% of Democrats say that building troop levels up to 100K, and planning to have all our troops out by the end of 2014, which of course didn't happen, was totally good?

• 83% of Republicans think that talks with the Taliban, including an obscene but discarded plan to bring Taliban leaders to the US, to Camp David, on 9/11, for heaven's sake, or forcing the Afghan government to release 5,000 Taliban prisoners, or setting a troop withdrawal date that's in someone else's administration, is totally good?

• 65% of Democrats think the media has done a totally good job, for 20 years, and 65% of Republicans think the opposite?

"Tell me again how we're a serious country," indeed. It's long past time we got our heads out of our partisan you-know-whats, don't you think?

Shots Fired: Systemic Racism? Here?

Shots fired.

Shots, in the form of voices talking about systemic racism, echoing around the interwebs. I hope they continue to do so, until the echoes ring in everyone's ears, creating a deafening sound that simply cannot be ignored.

We need that; we do.

Well, I don't believe in systemic racism. I think the American system is the best system ever devised for mankind, for history. We are liberty, we are equality, we are fairness, we have come a long way in this country...Here's a thought: President Obama, the first black president was elected twice, and he got 79 million white votes - 79 million in two elections. Now therefore, I find it hard to understand something called 'systemic racism. ~ Larry Kudlow, White House economic advisor, June 2020.

I live through the crisis and the systemic racism every single day, but I say, 'Maybe George Floyd is different.' We need to do whatever we can and commit every resource that we have...to combat this 400 years of systemic racism across every one of the important areas: education, economics, criminal injustice, and health care. ~black executive Ray McGuire, vice chairman of Citigroup, June 2020

We tried to deal with our original sin of slavery by fighting a Civil War, by passing landmark civil rights legislation, electing an African American president. I don't think we should be trying to figure out how to compensate for it. First of all, it would be hard to figure out whom to compensate. ~Kentucky's Senator Mitch McConnell, on the topic of reparations, June 2019

It remains a shocking failure that many African Americans, especially young African American men, are harassed and threatened in their own country. It is a strength when protesters, protected by responsible law enforcement, march for a better future. This tragedy - in a long series of similar tragedies - raises a long overdue question: How do we end systemic racism in our society? The only way to see ourselves in a true light is to listen to the voices of so many who are hurting and grieving. Those who set out to silence those voices do not understand the meaning of America - or how it becomes a better place. ~George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States, May 2020

I do not think that we have a system racism problem with law enforcement officers across this country. Do I acknowledge that there are some law enforcement officers that abuse their job? Yes. And again, we need to hold those accountable. And I would say that there are individuals in every profession across this country that probably abuse their authority and their power. And we need to hold them accountable. Can we do better? Can we continue to do more in the law enforcement arena? Outreach to our communities? Particularly those that feel slighted or -- absolutely. And so, I think there's always that - things that we can do more. But, again, I think painting law enforcement with a broad brush of systemic racism is really a disservice to the men and women who put on the badge, the uniform every day, risk their lives every day to protect the American people, to protect them so that they can go to school, they can have a business and come home safe to their families. So, I think we need to keep that in mind as well. ~Chad Wolfe, Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, June 2020

These events are yet another reminder that many of our fellow citizens endure the burden of unjust, exploitative, and abusive treatment by institutions in this country. Over the course of American history, the examples of such institutionalized racism are many, and include slavery, federal law (consider the Three-Fifths Compromise our founding fathers established to determine federal representation), sanctioned intimidation during Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws in southern states, redlining by bankers and brokers, segregation, voter suppression, and racial profiling in policing. These institutions hurt not only the African Americans they've targeted, but the systemic racism they've codified also hurt, and continues to hurt, America and its economy. By limiting economic and educational opportunities for a large number of Americans, institutionalized racism constrains this country's economic potential. The economic contributions of these Americans, in the form of work product and innovation, will be less than they otherwise could have been. Systemic racism is a yoke that drags on the American economy. This country has both a moral and economic imperative to end these unjust and destructive practices. ~Raphael Bostic, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, June 2020

I think there's racism in the United States still but I don't think that the law enforcement system is systematically racist. I understand the - the distrust, however, of the African American community given the history in this country. I think we have to recognize that for most of our history, our institutions were explicitly racist. Since the 1960s, I think we've been in a phase of reforming our institutions and making sure that they're in sync with our laws and aren't fighting a rearguard action to impose inequities. ~William Barr, US Attorney General, June 2020

The truth of our nation is that too often, the color of your skin alone can endanger your life, and for far too long, systemic racism has oppressed communities of color in the United States. Black and brown communities must no longer be the only ones to bear the weight of pushing for change. No one can stay silent. No one can ignore injustice. It's long past time for our nation to deal with systemic racism, including its contributions to growing economic inequality. We must seize this moment of opportunity to address all the issues that have denied the promise of this nation to so many for long. Let's use this moment or urgency to finally find the path forward. ~former Vice President Joe Biden

Systemic racism is manifesting itself in the public lynchings of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, as well as the state violence against Breonna Taylor. Black folks are also dying at startling numbers to COVID-19 due to systemic racism. One virus (systemic racism), two manifestations. ~Bakari Sellers, attorney, author, former state representative in South Carolina

Not all of the folks here necessarily have the same opinions they've always had; some have evolved, as is part of human nature. Others may not have.  But if the thinking is that it's enough to say that there is (or is not) systemic racism in law enforcement, that thinking is missing the boat.

Systemic racism in law enforcement can lead to a very violent death, a 'public lynching' as described by Bakari Sellers, but perhaps the more insidious systemic racism - the kind that can bring about a long, slow, death - is the kind talked about by Ray McGuire, by Raphael Bostic, and by Sellers, too.

The kind that kills not one individual at a time, but entire communities of people who are not allowed the chance to succeed. The ones with bad water, and lead paint, and permanent code violations and redlined zip codes. The ones with poor transportation options; the food deserts; the medical deserts; the ones without polling places; the ones with 'labels' that last for generations, whether deserved once, now, or never.  The communities where 'those people' live.

How do we end systemic racism in America? Maybe we can start by admitting it exists...

Shots fired.

My Middle-aged White Lady Perspective: American Pride

A new Gallup Poll has the folks scratching their heads at the level of pride Americans have in being Americans. Take a look:

As Americans prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, their pride in the U.S. has hit its lowest point since Gallup's first measurement in 2001.

While 70% of U.S. adults overall say they are proud to be Americans, this includes fewer than half (45%) who are "extremely" proud, marking the second consecutive year that this reading is below the majority level.

Democrats continue to lag far behind Republicans in expressing extreme pride in the U.S.

This is not new. In fact, we're told, fewer than 60% of us have said we're extremely proud to be Americans since the second George W. Bush term.

Against this data, the Fox and Friends crew asked what we think is causing the decline in the percentage of people who are 'extremely proud' to be an American. Others, too, are asking the question, or are pinning blame on Democrats, because only 22% of Dems express the desired extreme pride.

I'm proud to be an American, but am I extremely proud? Honestly, I don't even know how to  differentiate 'extremely proud' from 'proud' on a question like this, do you? And, how does one exhibit extreme pride, compared to exhibiting plain old ordinary pride?

• Would I have to wear different clothes, maybe wrapping myself in the stars and stripes, to meet the extreme definition? Maybe always wearing a flag lapel pin, even when I don't have lapels to pin it on?
• How about having a flag hanging on my porch? Is that ordinary pride, only to become extreme pride if I light it at night, or take it down, as I'm supposed to and as probably 95% of the people who have a flag don't?
• Is it ordinary pride to support every decision America and her leaders make, and extreme pride if I speak out against decisions I think are contrary to what America stands for? Or do I have that backwards?

To the extent that it matters, I can say from my middle-aged white lady perspective there are a number of reasons why 'extreme pride' is on the decline. Below are some examples that come to mind.

• A sense that we are losing our ideals, those self-evident truths expressed in the Declaration of Independence: equality for all, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and the government deriving its powers from the consent of the governed, among other things.
• A sense that there is no 'we' anymore, just 'us' and 'them' - even though 'them' are other folks who are proud, or even extremely proud, of being Americans just like 'us' are. I honestly don't remember it being this bad back in the Bush days, but certainly over the past decade, the 'tribal' aspects of everything have become more prominent, and the partisan divide is only growing.
• A sense that we are losing our standing on the world stage. Rightly or wrongly, we have been  looked up to and trusted, for decades. And while some of our day-to-day policies may change with each election, what 'America' stands for should not change with the political winds.
• A sense that there is no longer any respect for our governmental and societal institutions, particularly when our leaders regularly question the integrity of government agencies and all of their employees, and calling their patriotism into question. Don't our leaders have pride in America? 
• A pervasive sense that the ends justify the means, in all cases. no matter what. Time was when how we'd do something, as well as why we would, mattered when it came to deciding if we were going to do something. And it mattered a lot. It seems to matter less now. A lot less. 

Many of us hanker for a different time, when there was more respect for people and ideas and discourse, where thoughts and ideas weren't weaponized by one side or the other.

When we all worried less about what others think - whether it's athletes or celebrities or talking heads - and paid more attention to our own actions and whether we were living up to the American ideals.

When we weren't trying to out-patriot and out-American our fellow Americans, and when patriotism wasn't defined by party registration.

Maybe if we were in that place again, more people would be extremely proud to be an American. Or, maybe they wouldn't. But what if instead of focusing on the difference between the proud and the extremely proud, we focused on listening to the 30% who aren't proud to be American, and see if we can change their minds? 

Wondering on Wednesday (v156)

There was mourning, and retrospection, and celebration today, as we paused, for a couple of hours, for the state funeral of President George Herbert Walker Bush, #41. And there was also wondering, it being a Wednesday.

I found much of the funeral very moving, but I was struck more by the comments of his pastor than I was by those of President George W. Bush. I think I tend to be more shocked by deeply personal comments from someone who has an 'official' role than I am by a family member, where it would be more shocking if those comments were missing.

As to any wondering about today's events, I do have to wonder why the medial seems so stuck on talking about president Trump and how he managed to sit next to President and Mrs. Obama without there being some kind of incident. I can only surmise that they missed the antagonistic tweets they're accustomed to seeing all day long.

Also on the wondering today? USA Gymnastics has filed for bankruptcy, apparently to protect their finances in a way that they never protected the hundreds of girls and young women who were victimized by Larry Nassar. According to Kathryn Carson, the chair of the organization's board,

Our organization is a financially solid going concern but for the hundred lawsuits that we do have out there. That is the primary reason that we made the filing, to use the Chapter 11 process as a vehicle for resolving those claims.

The organization's official statement noted, in part,

This filing will enable USA Gymnastics to continue to support its athletes, to fully operate and meet its responsibilities to the entire membership and to expeditiously resolve the claims made by the survivors of sexual abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar.  

We owe it to the survivors to resolve, fully and finally, claims based on the horrific acts of the past and, through this process, seek to expedite resolution and help them move forward... 

I honestly wonder whether this will be better for the victims, who truly deserve to have these cases resolved once and for all, or if it will be better for USA Gymnastics.  I'm hoping it's the former.

Democracy is collapsing in Wisconsin - again - as the Republican majority passed legislation in the wee hours of the morning that limit the incoming Democratic governor. You know, that whole "will of the people" thing that Republicans have no problem ignoring when it suits them. Just ask Merrick Garland, right?

Among the changes they approved, and that lame duck gov Scott Walker has said he'll sign, are a cut in the early voting time period. I have to wonder why it is that those pesky Dems take so darn long to vote.

Why are they doing all of this?

We do not believe that any one individual should be able to come in and with the stroke of a pen eliminate things that went through the legislative process as a result of listening to the people of Wisconsin.

Those people of Wisconsin, they can apparently only be listened to once, it seems. So I wonder, why did they even bother having an election?

There's more wondering out there, of course -- but we'll have to save it for another Wednesday.

Sunday School 9/2/18

I'm pretty sure the bulk of the conversation in the classrooms today were about Senator John McCain, whether it's talk about who was or wasn't in attendance, or snippets from the many speakers who honored McCain, or the 'what it all means' parts.

So, I sat this one out - I played hooky this morning.  I spent time in my garden, forming my own opinions, liking what I liked, appreciating (or not) the sincerity of the words we heard over the past few days and, honestly, struggling a little with the amount of 'Trump bashing' that occurred, both spoken and implied, even as I understand where it comes from and why it came out at this particular moment.

I reflected on the many good graces that were present throughout the past week, and fleetingly on the petulance and childishness that emanated from some (we, and they, know who they are). Here are some excerpts from the many tributes in McCain's honor.

From Joe Biden, more than a Senate colleague, a close friend from their earliest days in DC, on why people have been so moved by McCain's passing:

Look, I've been thinking this week about why John's death hit the country so hard. Yes, he was a long-serving senator... Yes, he was a two-time presidential candidate... and yes John was a war hero... But I don't think that fully explains why the country has been so taken by John's passing. I think it's something more intangible. 

I think it's because they knew John believed so deeply and so passionately in the soul of America. He made it easier for them to have confidence and faith in America. His faith in the core values of this nation made them somehow feel it more genuinely themselves... It made the average Americans so proud of themselves and their country. He belief...that Americans can do anything, withstand anything, achieve anything...was unflagging and ultimately reassuring... that we truly are the world's last best hope. the beacon to the world. There are principles and ideals more than ourselves worth sacrificing for and if necessary, dying for. Americans saw how he lived his life that way, and they knew the truth of what he was saying.  

To paraphrase Shakespeare, we shall not see his like again.  

From Paul Ryan, House Speaker, leaving politics this year, on speaking of McCain in the future:

He never lost the joy that time can dull, or the edge that political life often sands away. I..from time to time found myself on the receiving end of John's distinct brand of candor, happily so. I remember thinking more than once yeah, he really does talk like a sailor. But...with John, it was never feigned disagreement. The man didn't feign anything, he just relished the fight. He showed us that in the arena, the honest back and forth, that's where the cause gets bigger, that's where the triumph is all the sweeter. We get stronger at the broken places... I think ahead to the day when I, like so many, will bring my own children and perhaps their children to that hallowed lawn in Annapolis. I think about that, about what I might say to them. "This is one of the bravest souls our nation has ever produced. However you choose to do your part, I hope you do it the way he did... Playing for keeps, never back on your heels. Never letting principle yield to expediency...and always having a great story to tell." 

From Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State who first met McCain when he was released from Vietnam back in 1973:

Honor - it is an intangible quality, not obligatory. It has no code. It reflects an inward compulsion, free of self-interest. It fulfills a cause, not a personal ambition. It represents what a society lives for beyond the necessities of the moment... For John, it was a way of life. 

John was an exponent of an American strong enough to its purpose, but (he) believed also in a compassionate America... He warned against the temptation of withdrawal from the world. In this manner John McCain's name became synonymous with an America that reached out to oblige the powerful to be loyal and give hope to the oppressed.

The world with be lonelier without John McCain, his faith in America and his instinctive sense of moral duty. None of us will ever forget how even in his parting, John has bestowed on us a much needed moment of unity and renewed faith in the possibilities of America. Henceforth, the country's honor is ours to sustain.

From Joe Lieberman, one of McCain's closest friends, who spoke about the human John McCain:

...becoming John McCain's friend is one of  the great blessings of my life...John and I got to know and trust each other as friends in a way that doesn't happen, because it can't happen any more in the frenetic Washington life of senators. Our friendship taught me many things, including I must add, some jokes that I otherwise never would have known. 

I can tell you that he was a real friend in accommodating what were to him my unusual practices as a religiously observant Jew, whether it was walking with me on a Saturday to an important meeting or turning down a popular Friday night dinner invitation... because it was too far to walk... John naturally in doing these wonderful acts of friendship grumbled all the way about what I was putting him through, you know. Right now I think he's probably deriving some pleasure from the fact it turned out his funeral was held on a Saturday and I had to walk to get here. I'm sure if he were here now, he would tell me that was divine justice. 

From Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver, who's been friends with McCain for more than a decade, and who visited Vietnam, walked in John McCain's steps, sat in his cell at the Hanoi Hilton:

Many people might wonder what a young, African American kid from Minnesota and a highly decorated Vietnam War hero-turned-United States Senator might have in common... (Note: all of the following pairs of 'commonality' were accompanied by laughter) I'm black. He was white. I'm young. He wasn't so young...He ran for president. I run out of bounds. He was the epitome of toughness, and I do everything I can to avoid contact. I have flowing locks, and well, he didn't... 

While from very different worlds, we developed a meaningful friendship. And this highlights the very rare and very special qualities of Senator McCain that I came to deeply admire. He didn't judge individuals based on the color of their skin, their gender, their backgrounds, their political affiliations or their bank accounts. He evaluated them on the merits of their character and the contents of their hearts,  He judged them by the work they put in and the principles they lived by...  While some might find our friendship out of the ordinary, it was a perfect example of what made him an iconic figure of American politics and service to fellow man. 

He celebrated differences. He embraced humanity, championed what was true and just and saw people for who they were.  

From President George W. Bush, with whom McCain both worked and battled:

John is the first to tell you that he was not a perfect man but he dedicated his life to national ideals that are as perfect as men and women have yet conceived. He was motivated by a vision of America carried ever forward, ever upward, on the strength of its principles. He saw our country not only as a physical place or power, but as the carrier of enduring human aspirations. As an advocate for the oppressed, as a defender of the peace, as a promise, unwavering, undimmed, unequalled. 

The strength of democracy is renewed by reaffirming the principles on which it was founded and America somehow always found leaders who were up to that task, particularly at the time of greatest need. John was born to meet that kind of challenge, to defend and demonstrate the defining ideals of our nation. If we're ever tempted to forget who we are, grow weary of our cause, John's voice will come as a whisper over our shoulder, "we're better than this. America is better than this." 

John was a restless soul. He really didn't glory in success or wallow in failure because he was always on to the next thing, said he can't stay in the same experience.  One of his books ended with the words "and I moved on." John has moved on, He would probably not want us to dwell on it, but we are better for his presence among us. The world is smaller for his departure, and we will remember him as he was: unwavering, undimmed, unequalled. 

And finally, from President Barack Obama, who defeated McCain in the 2008 election.

I have a reputation for keeping cool, John not so much. We were standard bearers of different American political traditions and throughout my presidency, John never hesitated to tell me when he thought I was screwing up, which by his calculation was about once a day. But for all our differences, for all of the times we sparred, I never tried to hide, and I think John came to understand the long-standing admiration that I had for him.

But to know John was to know that as quick as his passions might flare, he was just as quick to forgive, and to ask for forgiveness. He knew more than most his own flaws, his blind spots, and he knew how to laugh at himself. And that self awareness made him all the more compelling.

"Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be, but what will happen in all the days that will ever come can depend on what you do today."  What better way to honor John McCain's life of service than, as best we can, follow his example to prove that the willingness to get in the arena and fight for this country is not reserved for the few, it is open to all of us, and in fact it is demanded of all of us as citizens of this great republic. 

That's perhaps how we honor him best, by recognizing that there are some things bigger than party or ambition or money or fame or power, things that are worth risking everything for, principles that are eternal, truths that are abiding.  At his best, John showed us what that means. For that, we are all deeply in his debt. 

There are no classes tomorrow, but I'll be posting excerpts from Meghan McCain's moving comments about her dad, and his own last words to us all.

See you around campus.