George W. Bush: John McCain ‘could not abide bigots and swaggering despots’
In George W. Bush’s eulogy of U.S. Sen. John McCain, the 43rd president of the United States called the political opponent who became his friend “a troublesome plebe ‘til the end.”
It was a reference to McCain’s maverick political persona, but also to his years of service in the U.S. Navy.
But it was another line that made ears around the nation perk.
Bush said McCain “could not abide bigots and swaggering despots,” during his 10-minute tribute. After he finished, the man who beat McCain for the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2000 hugged the late McCain’s wife Cindy and shook the hand of the next speaker, former President Barack Obama.
He also repeated the line “We are better than this. America is better than this,” in his eulogy.
Bush did not mention anyone by name in either reference, but social media users watching the funeral filled in the blanks.
Neither did McCain’s daughter Meghan when she spoke about her father, differentiating John McCain’s legacy from “cheap rhetoric from men who will never come near the sacrifice he gave so willingly, nor the opportunistic appropriation of those who lived lives of comfort and privilege.”
She followed that up by saying “the America of John McCain has no need to be made great again because America was always great,” in a clear reference to President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
Trump spent Saturday at one of his golf courses, a Washington Post reporter tweeted. McCain family sources reportedly denied to People Magazine previous reports that McCain had banned the president from attending his funeral services.
The senator’s services have also been marked with loving and heartfelt tributes to the man who many say bridged the political divide between the Republican and Democratic parties like few before or after him.
And there have been no shortage of moments of levity, including something as simple as Bush passing Michelle Obama what appeared to be a piece of candy during the service, which continues Saturday.
“Bipartisanship,” MSNBC tweeted. That, of course, was another thing McCain was known for in his political career.
A church official presiding over the service caught Bush for a quick selfie, too, as guests left Washington National Cathedral just before 1 p.m.
McCain died of brain cancer at age 81 on Aug. 25.
This story was originally published September 1, 2018 at 10:56 AM.