George W. Bush Pays Tribute to McCain: ‘In One Epic Life Was Written the Courage and Greatness of Our Country’
Former President George W. Bush spoke at John McCain‘s memorial service today. Bush, who famously faced off against McCain in the 2000 Republican presidential primaries, said, “Some lives are so vivid, it is difficult to imagine them ended. Some voices so vibrant and distinctive, it’s hard to think of them stilled. A man who seldom rested is laid to rest. And his absence is tangible, like the silence after a mighty roar.”
“In one epic life,” Bush said, “was written the courage and greatness of our country.”
He alluded to their past political rivalry as he said, “Back in the day, he could frustrate me. And I know he’d say the same thing about me. But he also made me better. In recent years we sometimes talk of that intense period like football players, remembering a big game. In the process, rivalry melted away. In the end I got to enjoy one of life’s great gifts, the friendship of John McCain. And I’ll miss it.”
Bush continued:
“John was above all a man with a code. He lived by a set of public virtues that brought strength and purpose to his life and to his country. He was courageous, with a courage that frightened his captors, and inspired his countrymen. He was honest, no matter whom it offended. Presidents were not spared. He was honorable. Always recognizing that his opponents were still patriots and human beings. He loved freedom with a passion of a man who knew its absence. He respected the dignity inherent in every life, a dignity that does not stop at borders and cannot be erased by dictators. Perhaps above all, John detested the abuse of power, could not abide bigots and swaggering despots.”
He spoke of McCain’s moral compass and the “forgotten people in forgotten places” he stood up for.
“At various points throughout his long career,” Bush said, “John confronted policies and practices he believed were unworthy of his country. John McCain would insist we are better than this. America is better than this. John is the first to tell you 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… 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 are better than this. America is better than this.”
“We will remember him as he was,” he concluded, “unwavering, undemmed, unequal.”
Watch above, via CNN.
[image via screengrab]
