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john mccain

Looking back on a long career, John McCain lands on an important lesson about life.

Months after being diagnosed with brain cancer, John McCain delivered one of the best speeches of his long political career.

The 81-year-old Arizona senator was this year's recipient of the Constitution Center's Liberty Medal, an award given annually to an individual who exemplifies "courage and conviction" and strives "to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe." Recent past recipients include Rep. John Lewis, the Dalai Lama, Malala Yousafzai, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

After being introduced by former Vice President Joe Biden, McCain gave a speech that really needs to be heard by people across the political spectrum.

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McCain called on lawmakers to find common ground and reject the hyper-partisanship that's infected Washington in recent years.

While he and Biden didn't always agree on policy during their time as colleagues in the U.S. Senate, McCain noted, they never doubted that the other had the best interests of the country in mind. Politics, McCain suggests, used to be more than just a game of power.

"We believed in the institution we were privileged to serve in," McCain said of his working relationship with the former VP. "We believed in our mutual responsibility to help make the place work and to cooperate in finding solutions to our country’s problems. We believed in our country and in our country’s indispensability to international peace and stability and to the progress of humanity. And through it all, whether we argued or agreed, Joe was good company."

[rebelmouse-image 19529740 dam="1" original_size="500x281" caption=""We believed in our mutual responsibility to ... cooperate in finding solutions to our country's problems." GIF from CNN/YouTube." expand=1]"We believed in our mutual responsibility to ... cooperate in finding solutions to our country's problems." GIF from CNN/YouTube.

The most headline-grabbing portion of McCain's speech was a call to reject fear and embrace the obligations the U.S. has made to the international community.

Nationalism and "America First" attitudes didn't make America great; our commitment to the outside world did. It's at this point in his speech where the war hero begins to get a bit choked up, reflecting on the country as it is and as it should be.

He asked those around him to reject "half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems," calling that attitude and those policies unpatriotic.

[rebelmouse-image 19529741 dam="1" original_size="500x281" caption=""We live in a land made of ideals, not blood and soil. We are the custodians of those ideals at home and their champion abroad." GIF from CNN/YouTube." expand=1]"We live in a land made of ideals, not blood and soil. We are the custodians of those ideals at home and their champion abroad." GIF from CNN/YouTube.

The common thread between those two points — finding common ground with those we disagree with and rejecting isolationism — is empathy.

To be sure, McCain's positions haven't always reflected an empathetic worldview. With hawkish positions on foreign policy and his past pushes to gut the Affordable Care Act, he's certainly an imperfect messenger of an important lesson. In this speech, though, as he reflected on some of the brightest moments in his career, it is the basic bond of human empathy as a motivating factor that stands out the most.

"I’ve seen Americans make sacrifices for our country and her causes and for people who were strangers to them but for our common humanity, sacrifices that were much harder than the service asked of me," he said, his voice wavering ever so slightly, tinged with emotion. "And I’ve seen the good they have done, the lives they freed from tyranny and injustice, the hope they encouraged, the dreams they made achievable."

Watch John McCain deliver his powerful, thoughtful retrospective on life as a public servant below.

While you weren't looking, the Senate started trying to fix Obamacare for the first time.

On July 25, 2017, as Congress' zillionth (or so it seemed) attempt to repeal and replace Obamacare was careening gently off a cliff into a bed of spikes, Sen. John McCain rose to the Senate floor and delivered a clarion call for bipartisanship.

"Let's trust each other," the maverick Republican legislator cried. "Let’s return to regular order. We’ve been spinning our wheels on too many important issues because we keep trying to find a way to win without help from across the aisle."

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

It was a stirring speech. A vital speech. A speech that, coming directly on the heels of McCain's vote to advance a bill that was being written by a group of Republicans in secret, seemed kind of like bullshit.

But now, not two months after the dust from the GOP's last, best shot at the law finally settled, it actually might be ... happening?

For the first time in seven years, Democrats and Republicans are trying to figure out how to patch up the Affordable Care Act. Together.

The result of the effort, if successful, would be the first major bipartisan change to the law since it was passed in 2010.

At least one Republican senator — Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander — is trying to make it happen by next week, according to the Washington Examiner.

OK, but just because it's bipartisan doesn't mean it's a good idea. What are they actually trying to do?

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

Something very minor, but hey! Under the current law, the U.S. government pays health insurance companies to keep individual premiums down. President Trump has repeatedly threatened to stop these payments.

Alexander, Sen. Patty Murray, and others on the HELP Committee are trying to come up with a "stopgap" package that can continue the funding without having to rely on Trump, preventing premiums from spiking.

That sounds nice! But ... they must disagree on some stuff?

They sure do!

Alexander wants to roll back some of the ACA's essential health benefit requirements, which dictate what plans have to cover. Murray, meanwhile, hopes to properly fund reinsurance, in order to help insurers pay out claims to the sickest individuals.

They do, however, seem committed to reaching a deal.

Great, so everything's good now!

Not exactly. The same John McCain who righteously urged bipartisanship just two months ago? He just announced his support for a new "repeal and replace" bill that would "block grant" Medicaid to the states, potentially amounting to huge cuts to the program.

The Arizona senator told The Hill that, despite his earlier words, crafting the bill without Democratic input "doesn't mean I wouldn't vote for it." That doesn't just put the current bipartisan effort in jeopardy, but it potentially provides another last-ditch avenue to gut the law completely.

Still, for the first time in what feels like forever, it seems Congress might take July John McCain's advice and start working together again.

Sens. Patty Murray (D-Washington) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tennessee). Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

Working, that is, to try to make things better, not worse, for sick people.

Sound good to you? Give 'em a call and make sure they stick to it.

Fingers crossed, knock on wood, throw salt over your shoulder, punch a Komodo dragon they don't get any ideas from September John McCain.

Update 9/6/2017: McCain later clarified his position on the Graham-Cassidy proposal through a spokesperson, noting that while he endorses the "concept," he is waiting to see a bill before committing his support.

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Heroes

How John McCain's Great Barrier Reef comments could change hearts and minds.

“I think climate change is real,” John McCain said.

Sen. John McCain at the United States Studies Centre in Sydney. Photo by Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images.

On May 30, the 80-year-old Republican senator visited the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, Australia. While there, he spoke at length about many issues, including Russia and recent White House scandals. He took time to speak about climate change as well, The Guardian reported.

"I think that one of the great tragedies of our lives is that the Great Barrier Reef is dying [and] the environmental consequences of that," McCain said. He voiced his support for the U.S. staying in the 2015 Paris climate agreement to try to mitigate climate change.

"If we don't address this issue, I am very much afraid about what the world is going to look like for our children and grandchildren."

McCain's comments are more important now than ever — the reef is not doing well.

The Great Barrier Reef stretches for more than 1,200 miles. Coral bleaching caused largely by climate change has damaged 91% of it since 1998. Image from Ho/AFP/Getty Images

On May 24, The Guardian reported that experts told Australian governments they may need to revise their plans for the reef. It is no longer feasible, they said, to stick to the Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan's goals to improve the reef's overall health. Instead, the government should focus on just maintaining its "ecological function."

Coral reefs around the world are under stress from a number of factors, such as overfishing and bleaching caused by climate change.

We need voices on both sides of the aisle talking about not just the reef, but our planet's future.

A safe, clean, and stable environment is not a partisan issue. It's something we all want, and the concern over climate change in the U.S. is at a three-decade high.

That's why it can be frustrating to see the government come to loggerheads over and over again — and why McCain's words are important. As Vox's David Roberts wrote, the most important factor in building bipartisan support isn't clever arguments — it's outspoken leaders. McCain hasn't always been an environmental lion (he recently voted to repeal a stream protection rule, for instance), but those simple words — "I think climate change is real" — matter.

There are many more conservative voices — such as Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Florida) — who are also speaking.

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Curbelo represents Florida's 26th district, which sits at the state's southern tip and includes part of America's own barrier reef, which, unfortunately, has also been taking a few hits lately.

When leaders speak up, people listen.

We need immediate, bipartisan action if we're going to head off the worst effects of climate change. Hopefully, more leaders will come forward and take a stand.

Win or lose, the candidates have an important job on Tuesday night.

It's going to take a lot of work to mend the divides our country will face after the 2016 election. Historically, it's been the role of the losing candidate to offer that first spark of hope during their concession speech.

You don't have to look any further than the past few decades of concession speeches given by losing candidates, messages they'd rather not have had to share, before it becomes clear how important the humbling act of placing the good of the country above one's own ego is for the post-election healing process.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney concedes in Boston in 2012. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

"The nation, as you know, is at a critical point," 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney said in a speech conceding defeat to President Obama. "At a time like this, we can’t risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people’s work.”

Good concession speeches find a way to express the disappointment of losing an election along with a call to action and a pledge to lead by example moving forward.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

Four years prior, Sen. John McCain offered his own heartfelt election night message.

"Sen. Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed," McCain said in 2008. "No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.”

Those words — "No doubt many of those differences remain" — are key. An election cannot and will not wipe away differences; it can only help guide us in how we work to resolve them. After all, McCain and Obama had the same goal: to make America the best it could be. They just differed on how to accomplish that.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

“I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our goodwill and earnest effort to find ways to come together," McCain urged his supporters, "to find the necessary compromises, to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited."

Democratic nominee John Kerry also made American unity a central point in his 2004 speech congratulating President George W. Bush on his re-election.

"Today I hope that we can begin the healing," said Kerry. "But in an American election, there are no losers. Because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning, we all wake up as Americans. And that — that is the greatest privilege and the most remarkable good fortune that can come to us on earth."

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

“With that gift also comes obligation. We are required now to work together for the good of our country," Kerry said. "In the days ahead, we must find common cause. We must join in common effort without remorse or recrimination, without anger or rancor. America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion.”

“This is America. Just as we fight hard when the stakes are high, we close ranks and come together when the contest is done," Vice President Al Gore said in his concession speech after a highly controversial election.

The election of 2000 will remain one of the most controversial moments in our country's young history, with the Supreme Court issuing a ruling that effectively declared George W. Bush president amid a recount in Florida. Though he strongly disagreed with the Supreme Court's decision, Gore conceded with a speech intended to urge the country into unity behind President-elect Bush.

On December 13, 2000, Al Gore conceded the race to Texas Governor George W. Bush. Photo by Luke Frazza/AFP/Getty Images.

"[While] there will be time enough to debate our continuing differences, now is the time to recognize that that which unites us is greater than that which divides us," Gore reminded his supporters. "While we yet hold and do not yield our opposing beliefs, there is a higher duty than the one we owe to political party. This is America and we put country before party; we will stand together behind our new president.”

We may disagree, and we may at times consider ourselves opponents. What we must never do, however, is consider ourselves enemies of one another. From Mondale to Dukakis to Carter to Ford to George H.W. Bush, history is filled with truly great, healing speeches delivered by the losing candidates at the end of an election.

The most notable concession message, however, may have come from Sen. Bob Dole in his 1996 loss to President Bill Clinton.

Photo by J. David Ake/AFP/Getty Images.

After telling the crowd he had congratulated Clinton on being re-elected, Dole was met with loud boos. That's when he delivered a line that remains as important today as it was 20 years ago.

"No, wait a minute. Wait a minute," Dole said, trying to regain the crowd's attention. "No, I've said repeatedly — I've said repeatedly in this campaign that the president was my opponent and not my enemy. And I wish him well and I pledge my support in whatever advances the cause of a better America because that's what the race was about in the first place — a better America as we go into the next century."

As we close the book on the election of 2016, let's remember that while differences exist, we are neighbors and not enemies.

Whether a Tuesday night speech from one of the candidates helps prompt the healing process or the losing candidate deviates from this important historical tradition, it's on us to come together, to work together, and to be Americans together. There's a reason concession speeches have shared common themes election after election: because the message remains true, even as our country is forever changing.

On Wednesday morning, the world will still be here. Let's do what we can to help make that existence one we can all live with.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

Remember back in 2008 when Obama said he disagreed with John McCain, but would always honor his military service?

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.

That feeling of niceness was great ... but it seems to be short-lived in political campaigns. The closer it gets to Election Day, the meaner the candidates seem to get, especially when it comes to each other.

We know that mean language weakens people's faith in the system, which isn't great.

Previous studies have shown that going negative can also be dangerous for the candidates themselves. When you start slinging mud at your opponents, you might get splashed yourself.

But what would happen if, instead of criticizing your opponent, you complimented them?

Professor Nicoletta Cavazza at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy wanted to find out. To do this, the researchers asked 90 students to sit down and read fake political speeches. Some of the speeches had the typical mostly-negative political cadence you'd expect.

But half were tweaked to include a compliment toward the opposition. For example: "I believe that my competitor, who is an upright and smart person, will agree with me about the need to change this situation."

What did Cavazza find? In the end, the students rated the complimentary politician as being more trustworthy overall.

Unfortunately, we're not likely to see Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump getting all buddy-buddy.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

But this research does show us something interesting about our brains.

Cavazza cautioned that the study did have limitations, such as the fact that the politicians were made up, which might limit how much we can apply this to real politics just yet. More research will need to be done to tease out more nuance in their findings as well.

But the study does teach us that we tend to trust people more if it looks like they're going against their own best interests and acting in someone else's best interest instead.

In the case of politics, this can look like being nice to your competition.

But in real life, it can also look like helping someone out randomly. Imagine going to a car mechanic for repair. Maybe there's been a weird thump when it turns on or a little jingle-jangle noise when you go over 40 miles an hour. You leave the car with them for a few hours and when you get back, they've not only fixed the problem but also changed your oil for free!

What a standup bloke. You'd trust him with your car next time, right?

One of the most interesting things about politics is how it lets us see human nature played out on a national stage.

Next time I watch politics, I'll keep an eye out for any flattery because it could be the trick to winning ... although this year, I may have to wait until after Nov. 8 for that.

History's latest gladiator match took place Thursday when His Holiness Pope Francis took on His Hairpiece Donald Trump.

The pope and Donald Trump came to blows when, while flying from Mexico back to Rome, the pontiff said, "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian."

He didn't directly address Trump, who has famously doubled- and tripled-down on his plans to build the (biggest, best, most beautiful) wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the Vatican has clarified that the pope did not mean his comment as a personal attack on the business-mogul-turned-GOP-presidential-candidate.

But Trump was not happy about the comment.

“For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful," Trump fired back at the pope in South Carolina, where he was addressing a packed room at a golf resort.

Forget Batman vs. Superman. This is the best.

"And then he said I was 'disgraceful.' No, seriously! He actually said that," I want to imagine the pope said. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.

Of all the words to call the pope, "disgraceful" is certainly an interesting choice.

Coming from the Italian "disgrazia," the word "disgraced" in literal translation means "without grace" or "without the favor of God."

With all the resources available to me, a millennial with Internet access, I don't think I could come up with a more ill-fitting word to describe the pope than one with Italian origins that means "unfavored by God." It'd be like calling turtles "shell-less" or describing coffee as "constipating."

While I doubt Donald looks up the etymology of every word he slings out as an insult, it does point to an interesting trend of his.

Trump insults a lot of people, but he's not actually very good at it.

Besides tossing insults at basically every presidential candidate on the docket, not to mention the entire country of Germany...

...Trump has lambasted a huge array of public figures, institutions, companies, and even concepts. But his choice words consistently reveal some bizarre word choices.

Take this recent tweet referring to NBC anchor Chuck Todd:

Saying Chuck Todd "knows so little about politics" is really very silly.

Chuck Todd has been working in and around politics since at least 1992, when he worked for the presidential campaign of then-Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa). After that, he was editor-in-chief of The Hotline, a political news briefing from Atlantic Media, for six years.

Thanks, Donald! Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.

Todd also was NBC News' political director and chief White House correspondent, co-hosted "The Daily Rundown" on MSNBC, and currently hosts NBC's "Meet the Press."

So, while I'm not president of the Chuck Todd Fan Club or anything (It's a thing. They're called Chuckolytes. I'm hoping to run for treasurer.), I think it's safe to say the guy knows a little bit about politics.

How about this tweet insulting CNN's S.E. Cupp...

Cupp, the bespectacled CNN commentator formerly of MSNBC's "The Cycle," got her bachelor's degree from Cornell and her master's from New York University. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, the New York Daily News, and many other publications.

Do these glasses make me look loser-y? Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images.

She's been an accomplished writer and commentator since the early 2000s. Oh, and she was also a professional ballet dancer for six years.

If Cupp is a loser, then you can go ahead and sign me up for loserdom as well.

Or how about when he blasted Sen. John McCain?

You may not agree with McCain's politics. But the guy has served in the Senate since 1986. He was in the Navy from 1954 to 1981. He was the 2008 Republican presidential nominee and is chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services.

What did the orange man say? Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images.

Real dummy.

Trump also used the same word for Arianna Huffington.

Maybe he's thinking of a different Arianna Huffington?

Because the one I know of was #12 on Forbes' 2009 list of the most influential women in media, as well as one of its 100 most powerful women in the world.

Huffington being a dummy at the Global Women Entrepreneurs Conference in China. Photo by ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images.

She's also an accomplished author, media mogul, and co-founder of the Huffington Post. What a dummy!

He called fellow billionaire Mark Cuban a "loser."

Love him or hate him, Cuban went from selling garbage bags to pay for sneakers at 12 years old to owning the Dallas Mavericks. That's the kind of loser I'd love to be some day.

Or the kind of "loser" that becomes attorney general of New York:

Either one would be fine with me.

I'd even be willing to wear a big hat that says "Loser" in big, bright letters on the front. Misspelled, probably, because I also want to be a "dummy."

But nothing beats my personal favorite: when Trump called actor Samuel L. Jackson "boring."

Seriously? Samuel L. Jackson? Boring?!

THIS Samuel L. Jackson?!

GIF via "Pulp Fiction"/YouTube.

The only way you could think Samuel L. "M*****f***ing" "Hold onto your butts" "What does Marsellus Wallace look like?!" "Say 'what' again" Jackson is boring is if you've only seen him in "The Phantom Menace."

I mean, seriously, do you remember when he got eaten by that shark?

GIF via "Deep Blue Sea"/YouTube.

(Spoilers. Sorry.)

The point is, we should all hope to be insulted by Donald Trump.

If he takes the time to berate your intelligence, merit, or ability, it probably means you're doing something right!

Personally, I hope Trump sends an insulting tweet my way. Maybe then I can finally live out my dream of becoming a millionaire actor, media personality, writer, and NBA franchise owner.

Just like all the other dummies and boring people.

GIF via "Pulp Fiction"/YouTube.

Tasty.

"We have actually damaged our reputation as a force for good in the world." That quote just made my heart break. This speech says everytihng I want to say, though.

Ooof.

10 best quotes from Sen. John McCain's speech on the CIA interrogation report

1. On knowing the truth:

2. On the VALUE of knowing the truth for America, and for the world:

3. On how awkward it is that America basically WROTE the human rights protections against torture ... and then violated them:

4. On the prevalence of misinformation:

If SENATORS, powerful humans who have access to a lot of info and advice, are affected by misinformation, think about the average American!

5. On what wasn't worth giving up:

6. Our most important intelligence in the post-9/11 years (what led us to Bin Laden) came from conventional interrogation.

7. Torture isn't even about our enemies. It's about us as America and what we want that to mean.

I loved this quote.

8. What *is* America anyway? What are we fighting for?

An idea that all men are endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights.

9. On what *should be* the difference between us and the bad guys:

10. Lately, I've been really hesitant to believe that America is the exception, especially hearing all the bad things we've done. But McCain still believes. And I know it's not cool, but I kind of agree with him!

When given the opportunity to be different, stronger, and better ... America should've TAKEN IT.

Wait. I liked that first part, too. I wanna make it bigger.

BOOM.

Watch the rest of the speech above! And if you want to read it, check out the transcript below!