Even if Strategically Wrong McCain Was About Doing Right

As the life of Sen. John McCain fades into the annals of this country's political history, one can imagine that much will be written — equalling what has already been written.

A good portion of writers and politicians, whether they have been a professional historian or not, will dedicate pen to page about his accomplishments. They will speak of what McCain did do in this situation or that; what he did do politically, personally, and his time in the military doing what his father and forefathers did before him.

Also, every true word that is uttered to detail the greatness of this imperfect man will undoubtedly be well-deserved.

So much will be recorded about what McCain did in any number of events in his life that much may end up forgotten or less spoken of when it has come to what he did not do in his life or in his public life.

Words like "maverick" and "war hero" have already been used to describe him before the devastating news of his death hit the airwaves; the first speaking of his decades-long career in the Senate and the latter describing his time fighting for his country culminating in his capture and torture at the hands of the enemy.

In addition to the aforementioned worthy descriptions, anyone can view an old clip of him correcting a misguided lady about her beliefs when it came to then-Senator Barack Obama. What McCain did not do was take an opportunity to take a shot at his political opponent! What he chose to do was show his thoughtfulness and character while gently correcting a person about a falsehood that had been passed around about his own opponent.

Imagine that: to not capitalize off of a moment like a person's ignorance to draw more numbers to the ballot box.

McCain was not about alternative facts.

He was about the truth, whether it helped him or hurt him politically.

For those individuals who have studied McCain's career, his handling of the elderly woman's misguided question is not at all surprising. It's no bombshell because McCain apparently had a history of reaching across the aisle to political rivals in order to find solutions to problems of the day.

It was his outward dedication to bipartisanship that has brought out a number of Democrats to praise him for having done so. This lays bare his ideal that you can be friendly with those individuals that you disagree with on fundamental issues, as he demonstrated in his respectable statements about Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Sen. McCain did not desire to make disparaging remarks about rivals, which has become more fashionable. He was the example of civility, even as civility seems to have had its day in political discourse.

Lastly, John McCain was clearly dedicated to what he thought was right, despite that it might mean he would stand alone. Say what you will about McCain's vote against the GOP's "skinny repeal" bill of Obamacare last July, it was still a gutsy move by a man with no fear of the repercussions from his own party.

He did not just accept the change of basic beliefs in his own party and go with what currently appears to be the status quo of political ideals in the Republican party.

Let it never be said about him that he followed the crowd whichever way it was determined to move. McCain was a conservative.

You would not find the talking points of a right-wing populist ideologue in anything that he said or wrote. Whether one respects him for it or not, McCain strived for consistency in his political work.

The great senator that represented Arizona will undoubtedly be missed and spoken of in high regard. However, this should not be what happens alone in his physical absence in this life. His bold stand against a falsehood, his bipartisan nature, and his confidence and boldness in any decision that he made should be emulated.

McCain should be held up as an example of how one can pursue politics with an upright character that is not swayed by the latest political changes or the overwhelming need for a constituent's vote.

Ultimately, he was about doing what was right: if nothing else, this should be saluted.

Jerome Danner is a member of Project 21, an initiative of The National Center for Public Policy Research. Follow him on Twitter (@DannerJerome) and Facebook (Facebook.com/ThITwithJDanner) for more of his thoughts and commentary. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.