Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., criticized “half-baked, spurious nationalism” as he accepted the National Constitution Center Liberty Medal in Philadelphia on Monday night for his lifetime of sacrifice and service to the nation.
“To fear the world we have organized and led for three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership and our duty to remain ‘the last best hope of earth’ for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history,” he said.
“We have a moral obligation to continue in our just cause, and we would bring more than shame on ourselves if we don’t,” he added. “We will not thrive in a world where our leadership and ideals are absent. We wouldn’t deserve to.”
McCain also expressed his gratitude to have served the U.S. for 60 years.
“I am the luckiest guy on earth. I have served America’s cause – the cause of our security and the security of our friends, the cause of freedom and equal justice – all my adult life,” he said. “I haven’t always served it well. I haven’t even always appreciated what I was serving. But among the few compensations of old age is the acuity of hindsight. I see now that I was part of something important that drew me along in its wake even when I was diverted by other interests. I was, knowingly or not, along for the ride as America made the future better than the past.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden honored McCain by speaking at the event and shared that not only were the two of them close, but their families were close as well.
“I can think of no better description for the man we’re honoring tonight,” Biden said, praising McCain’s “courage and loyalty.”
Howard Schultz, Starbucks founder, additionally applauded McCain for refusing to vote for the Graham-Cassidy bill, an effort to overhaul Obamacare, and praised the senator for his service in the Navy.
McCain has been fighting brain cancer this year and has served six terms in the Senate.
