FEATURE ARTICLE

Temple Chima UbochiSunday, July 23, 2017
[email protected]
Bonn, Germany

SENATOR JOHN McCAIN;
ONE OF THE FEW REPUBLICANS WITH CONSCIENCE, ON MY MIND

You never know how much they care until you are under the weather (C. Kohler)

The treatment is really a cooperative of a trinity - the patient, the doctor and the inner doctor (Ralph Bircher)

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support - unfortunately for my sparring partners in Congress, I'll be back soon, so stand-by! (Senator John McCain said on Twitter)

Well, John, as you know, is a bigger-than-life force around here on so many issues, and particularly national security issues. I think that his absence is going to be felt. We're going to miss him. We hope he gets back (Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 3 Senate Republican)

t can be painful when a patriot or a hero or just anybody falls sick. Medicine and care will certainly play a crucial role in getting him or her back and well, but, our love and wishes go a long way in making the person feel better inside.

Senator John McCain of Arizona, one of the few most morally upright politicians in Washington D.C., has brain tumor; so, wishing him well will give him hope, make him feel great, and will have a big impact on his speedy recovery. Our words of consolation and strength can have a big influence on his recovery.

Much has been said or written about Senator John McCain's latest health condition. I feel for him and his family. I have never met the senator, but I hold him in high esteem for the things he does and says. As I said before; he's one of the few upright GOP senators, when there's drought of such in Washington D.C. Senator McCain is an American hero (if you know his history), and he has been a thorn in president Trump's flesh. Not minding his party affiliation, he criticizes Trump for his incompetence and foolishness as the president. His illness made the senate leader to postpone the voting on the health bill to repeal and replace Obamacare; and with that, the effort to kill Obamacare has failed.

It's good to chart a good course no matter one's political affiliation. McCain, as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Service, have travelled around the world to reassure allies, after president Trump has diminished American leadership role in the world. The politico wrote: Just a day after the stunning announcement that Sen. John McCain has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and will be absent from Capitol Hill to receive treatment, the feisty Arizona Republican is vowing to return to the Senate quickly.

McCain's health is critical for President Donald Trump and Senate GOP leaders, who suddenly find themselves in the position of needing McCain's support very badly, despite the often combative relationship between the president and the 80-year-old McCain.

McCain's sudden departure leaves a giant hole in the middle of the Republican Conference. On defense and foreign policy issues, McCain is among the loudest GOP voices, largely based on his own experience as a Vietnam War hero and prisoner of war. A hawkish interventionist utterly convinced of America's undisputed place as the world's leader, McCain has pushed to expand the U.S.' presence overseas, not withdraw from it, which often put him in collision with the Trump-Bannon worldview. From Syria to ISIS to Iran to North Korea, McCain has pushed for hard-line U.S. policies, including military strikes if necessary.

On other controversial topics - Trump's behavior, immigration, treatment of terrorism detainees, torture - McCain has been one of the few Republicans willing to speak out. Because of his own political stature, McCain has been able to say what other Republicans can't or won't.

The news of Sen. John McCain's brain cancer diagnosis was immediately met with shock and grief, with many taking to social media to express support for the Arizona Republican

Many American politicians, from both major parties, came out to wish Senator McCain well, because, they know the stuff he's made of. Presidents Bush Snr.; Clinton, Bush Jr.; Obama and Trump have all wished him well.

President George H. Bush Snr: The Hanoi Hilton (referring to Vietnam's prison camp) couldn't break John McCain's spirit many years ago, so Barbara and I know - with confidence - he and his family will meet this latest battle in his singular life of service with courage and determination.

Bill Clinton: As he's shown his entire life, don't bet against John McCain. Best wishes to him for a swift recovery.

George W. Bush Jr. spoke with McCain on Thursday, July 20. In his words: "I called Senator John McCain this morning to wish him well and encourage him in his fight. Instead, he encouraged me. I was impressed by his spirit and determination. He has devoted his life to his country. Thankfully, he is committed to continuing that service".

President Obama: "John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John."

On a 2013 appearance on the "Tonight Show", Jay Leno asked, "Is it me, or do I see kind of bromance with you and John McCain?" Obama responded:

"He is willing to say things regardless of the politics. The fact that he worked hard with a group of Democratic and Republican senators on immigration reform, they passed a bill in the Senate that will make sure that folks who are here illegally have to pay back-taxes and pay a penalty and get to the back of the line, but over time have a pathway to citizenship, and make sure that we're strengthening our borders. He went ahead and passed that even though there are some questions in his own party. So I think that he deserves credit for being somebody who is willing to go against the grain of his own party sometimes. It's probably not good for me to compliment him on television."

President Trump: Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy, and their entire family.

VP Pence: Karen & I are praying for @senJohnMcCain. Cancer picked on the wrong guy. John McCain is a fighter & he'll win this fight too. God bless!

Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell: John McCain is a hero to our conference and a hero to our country. He has never shied from a fight and I know that he will face this challenge with the same extraordinary courage that has characterized his life. The entire senate family's prayers are with John, Cindy and his family, his staff, and the people of Arizona he represents so well. We all look forward to seeing this American hero again soon.

Senator Orrin Hatch: Few have served our nation more admirably than John McCain. He's an American hero in every sense of the word, and Elaine and I will be praying for John, Cindy, and the McCain family as they process this devastating news.

House Speaker: John McCain has always been a warrior. It's who he is. I know John is going to fight this with the same sheer force of will that has earned him the admiration of the nation. And all of us, not as republicans or democrats, but as Americans, are behind him. The prayers of the whole House are with senator McCain and his family.

Ben Sasse: John McCain is an American hero and a relentless fighter. I wish him Godspeed in this fight and look fwd to welcoming him back to work soon.

Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, who is recovering from surgeries to treat the gunshot wound he recently sustained at a congressional baseball practice, said on Twitter that he is "Praying for my friend @SenJohnMcCain, one of the toughest people I know."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is one of McCain's closest friends on the Hill, said the Arizona senator told him he "wants to get back and get to work."

"This disease has never had a more worthy opponent," Graham said.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said she is "privileged to call him a friend."

".@SenJohnMcCain is a hero, a patriot and a fighter. I am privileged to call him a friend. Paul & I pray for his recovery and his family."

Arizona's other senator, Jeff Flake, wrote in a tweet, "Just spoke to @SenJohnMcCain. Tough diagnosis, but even tougher man."

McCain's 2008 running mate, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, shared a photo to Facebook of the two at a campaign event, adding "he'll face this diagnosis with courage and strength."

Arizona Gov., Doug Ducey, echoed others in calling McCain, who spent more than five years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, "undoubtedly the toughest man in the US Senate."

"He is an American hero and has served our country like few ever will," Ducey said on Twitter. "He has set an example for all Americans in the toughest of fights, in difficult circumstances. I have no doubt he'll do it again."

Hillary Clinton expressed her support for the McCain family.

"John McCain is as tough as they come," she said in a tweet. "Thinking of John, Cindy, their wonderful children, & their whole family tonight."

McCain's daughter, Meghan McCain, responded to the news in a statement:

"The news of my father's illness has affected every one of us in the McCain family. My grandmother, mother, brothers, sisters and I have all endured the shock of the news, and now we live with the anxiety about what comes next. It won't surprise you to learn that in all this, the one of us who is most confident and calm is my father. He is the toughest person I know."

I didn't support McCain's presidential bid in 2008, because I saw a better candidate in Obama then, but, McCain has proved to be a man of integrity and honor; no wonder he went through hell in Vietnam, and came out to have a forgiving spirit for even his captors and tormentors. As you will read from others, Senator McCain was a son and grandson of Navy Admirals, and he, himself, as a navy aviator, was shot down and taken hostage during the Vietnam War, and he spent five years as a prisoner of war. He was tortured then beyond comprehension, and the scars of that period are still with him. I think that Bernard Williams (1929-2003), who was an English moral philosopher, had people like McCain in mind when he wrote that "Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit".

Even though president Trump and senator McCain are within the same age bracket, they "served" America differently in the 1960s. While McCain was defending his father land and was sweating it out in Vietnam; Trump was only groping, frolicking, caressing and bedding women as his own national assignment. If life is fair, people like McCain, who sacrificed a lot for America, should have been president, and not goners like Trump.

After he was released from Vietnam, McCain returned to the United States and fell in love with Cindy, his wife, an heiress to the Hensley and Co. beer distributorship, distributors of Bud Light and Budweiser. So, McCain's family is a millionaire one due to the inheritance of his wife.

McCain, despite being a Republican, has earned my respect and praise. That will tell you that I commend or condemn when necessary. I do not criticize for the sake of it.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) wrote that "Our greatest glory is not in never failing but in rising up every time we fail"; and that has been what McCain has done. He survived so many adversities, and we all believe that he will make it through this time also. Many, such as Senator Ted Kennedy, died from such a similar health issue, but, I know that McCain will pull through, because, he's a survivor. Nicole Fisher, who is the founder and CEO of HHR Strategies, a health and human rights focused advising firm, wrote in the Federalist: I looked at former Vice President Joe Biden, tears streaming down my face, as he spoke to a small group of people in early 2016 about the loss of his son Beau to glioblastoma. It was a talk similar to ones he had given in the previous months, a tough discussion about the same cancer that took Sen. Ted Kennedy. And the same cancer that Sen. John McCain has recently been diagnosed with. Luckily for McCain, his tumor-which was associated with a blood clot-was surgically removed. So from this point forward it's about God, evolution, and science. I pray for the senator, I have faith that we've come as far as Biden thinks we can in a year, and I believe McCain is going to be a voice of reason in Congress and America for years to come.

There is a long battle ahead. But if anyone is equipped for the journey, and can make an incredibly positive, bipartisan difference in Washington DC following a tragedy, it is McCain. His colleagues, his constituents, and Americans across the country are dependent on him to fight for families facing battles with cancer.

Below are few attachments about McCain's condition. What I have here is only best wishes for him:

America needs people like senator McCain badly. While I wish the senator speedy recovery, I ask people of good will to send their thoughts and prayers to him, because, when one is feeling down, such can make a huge difference. Because, just as greeting card poet noted, it isn't always easy, but when one is not feeling well, hope it helps to know others are thinking of him, and hoping that he will be better very soon.

I implore Senator McCain to hold on to the hope and strength which saw him through so many other adversities before, and wishing that each day brings him renewed strength, brighter times, and a healthier, happy him.

Senator McCain is not a person who should be missing in action now: I and many others are thinking of him, hoping to see him at work again soon. No matter what he's going through or will be going through, during the course of his treatment, we wish him a restful recovery, and hope that he will be his usual self again. America and Washington D.C., in particular, need people like McCain, as long as somebody like Trump is in the White House.

When Republicans in Congress have jettisoned institutional loyalty over loyalty to Donald Trump, we need McCain than ever; when Trump, his family and cohorts are selling America to the Russians while the Republican controlled congress watches and cheers, we need a formidable conscience and a moral force like senator McCain.

Getting personal here: Why does McCain need our prayers? Because, just as Hubert Humphrey (1911-1978), the 38th Vice President of the United States, said "The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love".

I want senator McCain back as soon as possible; so, I'm telling him to be of good cheers, because, in the words of Pindus, the best of healers is a good cheer. McCain has been here before, so he must have faith to make it through, as Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), the 26th President of the United States, said: Believe you can and you're half way there.

In every situation, one should look at the brighter side of life and gain something out of it. For McCain, in the words of Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), who was a poet and philosopher, "There's one consolation in being sick; and that's the possibility that you may recover to a better state than you were before". McCain has always been a tough person and I know that coming out of his illness will only make him tougher.

I pray that the peace and comfort from God will surround Senator McCain during his treatments and time of recovery. May the senator get well soon and experience the joy of being healthy again. My prayers and those of others are for his super duper, fast and zippy recovery. What I pray is that God's unfailing love and care should surround the senator all through. May he use this restful time to recover, recharge and be re-energized. America will never be the same without McCain, as long as Trump is in the White House.

I wish him and every other sick person, including Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari, a speedy recovery.

TIT BITS

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/john-mccain-has-increasingly-been-a-thorn-in-trumps-side/

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/us/politics/john-mccain-brain-cancer.html

Listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t-AVCTn8JA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YziZ1FlAWs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpqmoBYkQfc

THE THANX IS ALL YOURS!!!

IMAGES IN THE NEWS