Sun. Jun 15th, 2025
P368426 03: (File Photo) Lieutenant Commander John Mccain Is Welcomed By U.S. President Richard Nixon Upon Mccain's Release From Five And One-Half Years As A P.O.W. During The Vietnam War May 24, 1973 In Washington, D.C.  (Photo By Getty Images)
P368426 03: (File Photo) Lieutenant Commander John Mccain Is Welcomed By U.S. President Richard Nixon Upon Mccain’s Release From Five And One-Half Years As A P.O.W. During The Vietnam War May 24, 1973 In Washington, D.C. (Photo By Getty Images)

While there’s not a lot I loved about John McCain’s politics, he was the type of man I could respectfully disagree with. He was a man.

(If I were to be at once less charitable, cynical, and truthful, I’d opine that the only thing McCain loved more than politics was himself.)

Nevertheless, in a cultural climate that seems to debase itself by the day, McCain seems like a relic of sorts, not just politically, but in an almost literary sense: a man of multitudes, contradictions, impossible to dismiss as a one-note opportunist, which the GOP is overstuffed with, and he certainly makes the insular, incurious, unworldly simpletons who until today operated in his considerable shadow seem like a bunch of bloodless insects.

It’s used as a shameful throwaway line, easily uttered by blue-blooded fakes who couldn’t even read about a field of fire without soiling themselves, but John McCain loved his country; he fought for it, honored it, served it. We won’t see many like him in public office anymore, and we’re poorer for it. RIP.

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By Sean Murphy

Subscribe to my Substack Award-winning author Sean Murphy in conversation with creative thinkers, spanning the literary, music, art, politics, and tech industries. As a cultural critic, professor, founder of a literary non-profit, Sean is always looking to explore and celebrate the ways Story is integral to how we define ourselves, as artists and human beings. This Substack newsletter and weekly podcast peels back the layers of how creativity works, why it matters, how our most brilliant minds achieve mastery. Join us to explore how our most successful and inspired storytellers engage by discussing craft, routines, brand, and mostly through authentic and honest expression. Subscribe at seanmurphy.live Connect with me Website: seanmurphy.net Twitter: @bullmurph Instagram: @bullmurph Facebook: facebook.com/AuthorSeanMurphy LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sean-murphy-4986b41