While George W. Bush and John McCain had some issues in the past, today Bush said:
“He could frustrate me, and I know he’d say the same thing about me. But he also made me better. In recent years we sometimes talk of that intense period like football players, remembering a big game. In the process rivalry melted away.”
With that rivalry in the past, McCain personally requested that Bush deliver one of his eulogies (along with former President Barack Obama). Bush’s remarks were both a tribute to McCain and an obvious rebuke directed at Donald Trump (who was not invited). Here are some excerpts:
“John was above all a man with a code. He lived by a set of public virtues that brought strength and purpose to his life and to his country. He was courageous, with a courage that frightened his captors and inspired his countrymen. He was honest, no matter whom it offended. Presidents were not spared. He was honorable, always recognizing that his opponents were still patriots and human beings. He loved freedom with a passion of a man who knew its absence. He respected the dignity inherent in every life, a dignity that does not stop at borders and cannot be erased by dictators.”
“Perhaps above all John detested the abuse of power, could not abide bigots and swaggering.”
“At various points throughout his long career, John confronted policies and practices he believed were unworthy of his country. To the face of those in authority, John McCain would insist we are better than this. America is better than this.”
Watch his full speech above.