Leader McConnell Visits Senator McCain
‘I had the opportunity yesterday to visit our friend, John McCain in the beautiful location of Sedona, about a two-hour drive from Phoenix. John, Cindy and I had a chance to sit on the back porch and reminisce about our friendship and all we had shared over the last 30 years. We had some laughs and even reminisced about the battles; sometimes we were on the same side, and sometimes we weren’t. But one thing about our colleague, John McCain—you’d rather be on his side than not.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding his visit with Senator John McCain (R-AZ) this past weekend:
“I had the opportunity yesterday to visit our friend, John McCain in the beautiful location of Sedona, about a two-hour drive from Phoenix. John, Cindy and I had a chance to sit on the back porch and reminisce about our friendship and all we had shared over the last 30 years. We had some laughs and even reminisced about the battles; sometimes we were on the same side, and sometimes we weren’t. But one thing about our colleague, John McCain—you’d rather be on his side than not.
“But for 10 years we had very vigorous debates about an issue he and I both cared about and we were on the opposite sides. It ended going all the way up to the Supreme Court. He won and I lost, and we worked hard to establish a new relationship after that vigorous battle of the decade.
“We all know his story all too well: a genuine American hero. We admire the tenacity and the grit that it took to survive those five and a half years in the ‘Hanoi Hilton.’ And the way he refused to go home early—as he certainly could have—given the prominence of his father’s position in the Navy.
“It’s pretty hard to think of any serious issues facing our nation without recalling the role that John played in so many things that are important to our country. The last few years, we sort of thought of him as the shadow Secretary of State during the Obama years as he traveled the world—sometimes on a long weekend—to some of the least desirable places to visit. I avoided those trips, but for those who took them it was a little bit like the Bataan Death March. Junkets they weren’t.
“He also was passionate in working to take better care of our veterans. No one, with the possible exception of Senator Isakson, spent more time working on veterans issues and trying to take care of them—as they richly deserved—than John McCain.
“At this point in his life he obviously has a little time to sit, rest, and reflect under that desert sky. To simply take in the beautiful, peaceful nation he’s worked so hard for so long to protect and pass on to our children. One thing we all know about John that remains the case today, he doesn’t have a relaxed bone in his body. And he still has plenty to say about work I assure you. He misses his colleagues, he’d rather be here. And I told him we miss him too. All the great jokes and smart-alecky comments. He’s a joy to be around.
“I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to tell him how much his friendship meant to me. So that’s why I was out there this weekend. And while I was there, I said I was confident I was speaking for everybody in the Senate. And conveying our deepest respects to him for all he’s done for this country during a truly extraordinary life.”
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