Sen. John McCain, in a farewell message, urged Americans not to lose heart over politics, expressing optimism about the country’s ability to overcome what ails it.
“Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here,” Mr. McCain said in a message his longtime aide Rick Davis read Monday. “Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.”
Mr. McCain died Saturday after battling brain cancer, and his death has ignited an outpouring of tributes from across the globe from Republicans and Democrats who said the longtime lawmaker was gracious in two presidential campaign defeats, as well as a bridge-builder on Capitol Hill.
Mr. McCain, in his farewell, said conceding defeat in 2008 to President Obama was a “privilege.”
“We are 325 million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates,” he said. “But we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement.”
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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