Former Presidents Remember ‘Maverick’ John McCain

John McCain was remembered in the hours after his death by former presidents on both sides of the aisle weighing in to pay their respects — two of whom had been pitted against the Arizona Sen. in political races over the years.

President Jimmy Carter released a statement through his presidential library.

George H.W. Bush honored his friend and fellow aviator with a statement through his spokesman.

Statement by former President @GeorgeHWBush on the passing of U.S. Senator John McCain of Arizona. pic.twitter.com/joT1reIihM

— Jim McGrath (@jgm41) August 26, 2018

In that statement, the elder President Bush wrote, “John McCain was a patriot of the highest order, a public servant of the rarest courage. Few sacrificed more for, or contributed more to, the welfare of his fellow citizens – and indeed freedom loving peoples around the world. Another American maverick and warrior, General George Patton, once observed: ‘We should thank God that men such as these have lived.’”

Former President Bill Clinton called McCain a “skilled, tough politician, as well as a trusted colleague” in a joint statement with his wife and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

John McCain believed that every citizen has a responsibility to make something of the freedoms given by our Constitution, and from his heroic service in the Navy to his 35 years in Congress, he lived by his creed every day. https://t.co/946T7PnG53

— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) August 26, 2018

Former President George W. Bush beat McCain in the 2000 presidential primary, but in the years that followed, viewed the Arizona Senator as a true friend. “Some lives are so vivid,” he said, “it is difficult to imagine them ended.”

Some lives are so vivid, it is difficult to imagine them ended. Some voices are so vibrant, it is hard to think of them stilled. John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order. He was a public servant in the finest traditions of our country. And to me, he was a friend whom I’ll deeply miss. Laura and I send our heartfelt sympathies to Cindy and the entire McCain family, and our thanks to God for the life of John McCain.

A post shared by George W. Bush (@georgewbush) on Aug 25, 2018 at 6:08pm PDT

Former President Barack Obama, who battled McCain for the presidency in 2008, praised the indomitable courage of a man from a “different generation” and a “different background.”

Our statement on the passing of Senator John McCain: pic.twitter.com/3GBjNYxoj5

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 26, 2018

“Few of us have been tested the way John once was, or required to show the kind of courage he did. But all of us can aspire to the courage to put the greater good above our own,” Obama wrote. “At John’s best, he showed us what that means. And for that, we are all in his debt.”

Fair winds and following seas, Senator McCain.

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