John McCain was more than a senator or a politician. He was a way of life, a statesman whose sacrifices and devotion to the country made him a celebrity both in the United States and around the world. There is a reason so many public figures, from Bill Clinton and Barack Obama to Angela Merkel, David Cameron, and Masoud Barzani are delivering tributes to McCain and his family: He was a permanent fixture on the world stage. McCain earned the respect, admiration, and envy of colleagues on both sides of the political aisle during his 30-year Senate career.
McCain’s passing leaves a gaping hole on Capitol Hill. While his persona as a maverick may be a tad overstated, there is no question whatsoever that the Arizonan was a fiercely independent politician and an equal-opportunity crank during congressional hearings. When administration witnesses appearing before his committee weren’t being forthright, or if McCain believed the witness was attempting to dodge the question and have it both ways, there would be hell to pay — usually in the mold of a loud, intense, humiliating public scolding that the cameras wouldn’t be able to avoid. He expected logical, commonsense answers, whether the witness was Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld during the Abu Ghraib scandal or Secretary of State John Kerry during hearings about the Iran nuclear agreement.
McCain had a solid reputation before Donald Trump was considered a serious presidential contender, but it was really after Trump’s inauguration that the senior senator from Arizona cut his teeth. Whereas the vast majority of Republican lawmakers scurried away from any criticism of Trump or did so in meek, pro-forma press releases, McCain almost relished the opportunity to stick a thumb in Trump’s eye. He called Trump out on any number of gaffes or poor performances, political prospects be damned.
Last month, after Trump seemed to take Vladimir Putin’s side about Russian interference in American elections over the assessment of the U.S. intelligence community, not even McCain’s battle with cancer could stop him from issuing a scathing response: “Today’s press conference in Helsinki was one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory. The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is difficult to calculate.”
It’s impossible to picture any other GOP lawmaker writing such words.
Will at least a few in the current class of Beltway Republicans be as bold as McCain was in calling out Trump when he needs to be reprimanded? Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who has gotten on Trump’s bad side on many occasions, is retiring in a few months. So is Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who would rather give up his political career than go through the indignities of the Trump loyalty contest otherwise known as a GOP primary. Sen. Susan Collins, the moderate Republican from Maine, could be a contender, but she is far too quiet and hardly a household name like McCain. Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Ben Sasse, R-Neb., are possibilities, but Gardner is chair of National Republican Senatorial Committee and won’t do anything to jeopardize GOP re-election chances. Sasse is a young, vibrant, philosophical conservative, but he’s at the short end of the stick in terms of senatorial seniority.
It may come down to Mitt Romney (former GOP presidential nominee, Massachusetts governor, and senator-in-waiting) to pick up McCain’s mantle and carry it forward. Yet as much as he might try to become the voice of the old Republican Party, even Romney doesn’t have the foot size to fit into John McCain’s shoes.
Daniel DePetris (@DanDePetris) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. His opinions are his own.
