To honor McCain

On Sept. 1, President Obama delivered a deeply thoughtful, inspiring eulogy of John McCain. It was the type of statesman-like oration that has been sadly lacking in this current administration. He spoke of his deep admiration of a man who was always willing to buck his own Republican party, work across the aisle and to be his own man.

Obama and McCain did not treat each other as “the enemy,” or “the other party,” but as colleagues in the business of running the country. Without once mentioning the current president, Obama said the way American’s should honor McCain is not to deal in the petty, mean, partisan ways of today.

Obama said that John McCain would tell us that we, as Americans, are better than that, and that some things are bigger and more important than party, power or money; that the American ideal is worth suffering for, as McCain did as a prisoner of the Viet Cong, and that many have died for.

We should all live by the ideals the McCain lived and work together to preserve the wonderful freedoms our country gives us, and to love our fellow beings in this country and around the world.

Jennifer Bates

Spokane