House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Friday the late Sen. John McCain will be remembered as a true political warrior and one of the “bravest souls our nation has ever produced.”
“He never lost the joy that time can dull, or the edge that political life so often sands away,” the Wisconsin Republican told mourners at the Capitol, where Mr. McCain is lying in state.
“The man didn’t feign anything. He just relished the fight.”
Mr. Ryan said he found himself on the receiving end of the senator’s “distinct brand of candor.”
“Yeah, he really does talk like a sailor,” the speaker would find himself thinking.
But within that saltiness was a lesson: Members of Congress who are entrusted to do the people’s will — and do it well — must step into the arena and engage in an “honest back and forth.”
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“That’s where the cause gets bigger, that’s where the triumph is all the sweeter,” Mr. Ryan said.
The speaker said Mr. McCain may have failed to achieve the presidency, yet he attained “what is far more enduring — the abiding affection of his fellow citizens, and an example for future generations.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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