decided not to run for the senate again in 2012, he was puzzled and frankly even a little bit angry. but then the next day he called me and this is my best recollection of the conversation. he said, you know, i've been thinking, if you go out into the private sector, you're going to make some more money and then you and hadassah can afford to buy a second home in jerusalem. that has an extra room for me. with a balcony where we can look out and talk about that city and its history well then since i talked to him and visited him, he would ask me, joey, have you made enough money yet to buy that place in jerusalem? and i'd answer, not yet, johnny,

but i'm getting closer. now sadly fate has intervened before we could realize that dream. but i am comforted by the fact that jerusalem is not just a holy and historic city but the visionary symbol of the dreams that all people share and the destiny that we all desire. it is the original heavenly shining city on the hill and in that sense, for many people in the life of the spirit, jerusalem, the shining city on the hill are really heaven and it is to that heavenhefidenthe sidney mccain iii is going now and i want to imagine that

there's going to be a beautiful home waiting for him there with a balcony from which he can contemplate the shining city and hopefully inspire us here on earth to conduct ourselves with just some of the patriotism, principles and courage that characterize his magnificent life of service to america and to so many noble causes greater than himself. god many speed my friend. may angels sing you to your eternal home. [ applause ] >> reflections from a close

friend joe lieberman. now we'll hear from former secretary of state dr. henry kissinger. 95 years old, henry kissinger. his watch just a bit shorter.

our country has had the good fortune that at times of national trial a few great personalities have emerged to remind us of our essential unity and inspire us to fulfill our sustaining values. john mccain was one of those gifts of destiny.

april 1973.for the first time in and at a white house reinterception for prisoners returned from captivity in vietnam. he had been much on my mind during the negotiations to end the vietnam war. partly also because his father then commander in chief of the pacific command when briefing the president answered references to his son by saying only i pray for him. in the mccain's family, national service was its own reward.

they did not allow for special treatment. i thought of that when his vietnamese captives during the final phase of negotiations offered to release john so that he could return with me on the official plane that had brought me to hanoi. against all my instincts, i thanked him for the offer but refused it. i wanted what john would say when we finally met, its greeting, self-effacing and movi moving, thank you for saving my

honor. he did not tell me then or ever that he had had an opportunity to be freed years earlier but had refused. a decision for which he had to endure additional periods of isolation and hardship. nor did he ever speak of his captivity again. during the near half century of close friendship. john's focus was on creating a better future. as a senator, he supported the restoration of relations with

vietnam, helped bring it about on a bipartisan basis in the clinton administration and became one of the advocates of reconciliation. honor was john's north star. it is an intangible quality. s it not obligatory. it has no written code. it reflects an inward compulsion free of self-interest. it fulfills a cause, not a

personal ambition. it represents lives for beyond the necessities of the moment. law makes life possible. honor and nobility for john it was a way of life. john returned to an america divide over its presidency, divided over the war, amidst all the turmoil and civic unrest, divided over the best way to protect our country and know whether it should be respected for its power or its ideals.

john came back from the war and declared that this is a false choice. america owed it to itself to embrace both strengths and id l ideals. in decades of congressional service, ultimately its chairman of the senate armed services committee, john was an indefatigable ex-oppone xechlt o vindicate its purpose but john believed also in a compassionate america, governed by -- guided by core principles for which american foreign policy must

always stand. with liberty and justice for all, it's not an emptied sentiment he argued. it is the foundation of our national conscience. to john american values had universal am -- applicabilty. i do not believe there is an arab exception any more than there is a black exception or an asian or latin exception. he warned against the temptation of withdrawal from the world.

we will not thrive in a world, he warned, where our leaders and ideals are actions. we would not deserve it. in this manner, john mccain's name became synonymous with an america that reached out to oblige the powerful to be loyal and to give hope to the oppressed. john will never academic maxims. he was in the front lines of all these battles for decency and freedom. he was an engaged warrior, fighting for his causes with a

brilliance, with courage and with humility to the limit of the peaceable and sometimes even beyond it. john as all about hope. in a commencement speech at ohio wesl wesleyan university john summed up the essence of his engagement of a lifetime. no one of us if they have character leaves behind a wasted life.

like most people of my age, i feel a longing for what is lost and cannot be restored. but if the happy pursuits and casual beauty of youth prove it, something better can endure and endure until our last moments on earth. and that is the lovely gift and a moment in our lives when we sacrifice for something greater than ourselves.

heroes inspire us by the matter of factness of their sacrifice. and the elevation of their vision. the world will be lonelier without john mccain. his ebullience, his faith in america and his instinctive sense of moral duty. none of us will ever forget how even in his parting, john has bestowed on us a much needed moment of unity and a renewed faith in the possibilities of

america. henceforth, the country's honor is ours to sustain. [ applause ] >> secretary henry kissinger, what a line. and now the united states naval academy glee club with the hymn "amazing grace."

>> you see those wings on the lapel of cindy mccain, those of her husband. ♪ ♪ amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me ♪

♪ i once was lost but now i'm found ♪ ♪ was blind but now i see ♪ ♪ i see ♪ 'twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved ♪

♪ how precious did that grace appear the hour i first believed ♪ ♪ the lord has promised good to me bright shining as the sun ♪ ♪ we've no less days to sing god's praise than when we'd first begun ♪

♪ ♪ the sound the sound was blind but now i see ♪

former president george w. bush defeated john mccain in the 2000 campaign, but senator mccain personally asked him to speak today. cindy and the mccain family, i am honored to be with you to offer my sympathies and to celebrate a great life. the nation joins your extraordinary family in grief and gratitude for john mccain. some lives are so vivid it's difficult to imagine them ended. some voices are so vibrant and distinctive, it's hard to think of them stilled.

a man who seldom rested is laid to rest. and his absence is tangible like the silence after a mighty roar. the thing about john's life was the amazing sweep of it. from a tiny prison cell in vietnam to the floor of the united states senate, from troublemaking bleeb to presidential candidate. wherever john passed throughout the world people immediately knew there was a leader in their midst and one epic life was written the courage and greatness of our country. for john and me there was a personal journey, our hard fought political history. back in the day he could frustrate me. and i know he'd say the same thing about me. but he also made me better.

in recent years we sometimes talk of that intense period like football players. remembering a big game. in the process, rivalry melted away and in the end i got to enjoy one of life's great gifts, the friendship of john mccain and i'll miss him. moments before my last debate, ever, with senator john kerry in phoenix i was trying to gather some thoughts in the holding room. i felt a presence, opened my eyes and six inches from my face was mccain who ht ]edllye, john was above all a man with a code. he lived by a set of public

virtues that brought strength and purpose to his life and hi y.ouh fghtened aedis he was honest. no matter whom it offended. presidents were not spared. [ laughter ] he was honorable, always recognizing that his opponents were still patriots and human beings. he loved freedom with the passion of a man who knew its absence. he respected the dignity inherent in every life, ray dignity that does not stop at borders and cannot be erased by dictators. perhaps above all, john detested the abuse of power. could not abide bigots and swaggering despots. there was something deep inside him that made him stand up for the little guy, to speak for forgotten people and forgotten

places. one friend from his naval academy days recalls how john l upperclassmen verbally accuse a the jerk to pick on someone his own size. it was a familiar refrain during his six decades of service. where does that strength of conviction come from? perhaps from a family where honor bass in the atmosphere for from the firsthand experience of cruelty which left physical reminders that lasted his whole life or from some deep well of moral principle, whatever the cause it was his combination of courage and decency that defined john's calling and so closely paralleled the calling of his country. this combination of courage and decency that makes the american

military new in history andod. it's this combination of courage and decencyourney into the worl liberate death camps, to stand guard against extremismru peace comes only with freedom. john felt these commitments in his bones. it is a tribute to his moral compass that dissidents and prisoners in so many places from russia to north korea to china knew that he was on their side. and i think their respect meant more to him than any medals and honors life could bring. the passion for fairness and justness extended to our own military when a private was poorly equipped or seaman was overworked in terrible conditions john enjoyed nothing more than dressing down an admiral or a general. he remained a troublesome plebe

to the end. those in political power were not exempt. at various points throughout his career he confronted policies and practices that he believed were unworthy of his country. to the face of those in authority john mccain would insist we are better than this. america is better than this. john is the first to tell you he was not a perfect man, but he dedicated his life to national ideals that are as perfect as men and women have yet conceived. he was motivated by a vision of america carried ever forward ever upward on the strength of its principles. he saw our country not only as a physical place or power, but as the carrier of enduring human aspirations. as an advocate for the oppre oppressed. as a defender for the peace. as a promise unwavering, und

undimmed. unequal. the strength of a democracy is renewed by reaffirming the principles on which it was founded. and america has somehow always found leaders who were up to that task particularly at the time of greatest need. john was born to meet that kind of challenge. to defend and demonstrate the defining ideals of our nation. if we're ever tempted to forget who we are, to grow weary of our cause, john's voice will always come as a whisper over our shoulder, we are better than this. america is better than this. john was a restless soul. he really didn't glory in success or wallow in failure because he was always on the to next thing. friends can't say he can't stay in the same experience. one of his books ended with the words and i moved on. john has moved on.

he would probably not want us to dwell on it but we are better for his presence among us. the world is smaller for his departure and we will remember him as he was, unwavering, undimmed, unequal. [ applause ] talking about -- and now we'll hear former president barack obama and history being made today as two former presidents eulogize a former senator. john mccain said his defeat said something important about the country, that his own election would not have.

barack obama. >> to beloved family, mrs. mccain. to cindy and the mccain children, president and mrs. bush, president and secretary clinton, vice president and mrs. biden, vice president and mrs. cheney, vice president gore and has john would say, my friends. we come to celebrate an extraordinary man. a warrior, a statesman, a pat w embodied so much

that isn among the fortunate few who competed against john at the highest levels of politics. he made us better presidents just as he made the senate better. just as he made this country better, so for someone like john to ask you while he's still alive to stand and speak of him when he's gone is a precious and singular honor. now, when john called me with that request earlier this year, i'll admit sadness, and also a certain surprise, but after our conversation ended, i realized how well it captured some of john's essential qualities.

so to the start with, john likes being unpredictable. even a little contrarian. he had no interest in conforming to some prepack kjed version of what a senator should be and he didn't want a memorial that was going to be prepackaged either. it also showed john's disdain for self-pity. he had been to hell and back, and yet somehow never lost his energy or his optimism or his zest for life. so cancer did not scare him. and he would maintain that buoyant spirit at the very end, too stubborn to sit still, opinionated as ever, fiercely devoted to his friends and most of all to his family.

it showed his irreverence, his sense of humor, a little bit of a mischievous. after all what better way to make a statement than to make george and i say nice things about him to a national audience. and most of all, it showed a largeness of spirit. an ability to see past differences in search of common ground. and, in fact on the surface john and i could not have been more different. we're of different generations. i came from a broken home and never knew my father. john was the son of one of america's most distinguished

military families. i have a reputation for keeping cool. john, not so much. we were standard bearers of different american political traditions and throughout my presidency, john never hesitated to tell me when he thought i have screwing up, which by his calculation was about once a day. but for all our differences, for all the times we sparred, i never tried to hide and i think john came to understand the long-standing admiration that i had rebellious young man. in his case, that's understandable. what faster way to distinguish yourself when you're the son and grandson of admirals than to

mutiny? eventually, though, he concluded that the only way to really make his mark on the world is to commit to something bigger than yourself. and for john that meant answering to the highest of callings, serving his country in a time of war. others this week and this morning have spoken to the depths of his torment and the depths of his courage there in the cells of hanoi when day after day, year after year, that youthful iron was tempered into steel. it brings to mind something that hemmingway wrote, and the book that meghan referred to, his favorite book.

today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. but what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today. in captivity john learned in ways that few of us ever will, the meaning of those words. how each moment, each day, each choice is a test. and john mccain passed that test again and again and again. and that's why when john spoke of virtues like service and duty, it didn't ring hollow. they weren't just words to him.

it was a truth that he had lived. and for which he was prepared to die. and it forced even the most cynical to consider what were we doing for our country? what might we risk everything for? much has been said this week about what a maverick john was. now, in fact, john was a pretty conservative guy. trust me. i was on the receiving end of some of those votes. but he did understand that some principles transcend politics. that some values transcend party. he considered it part of his

duty to uphold those principles and uphold those values. john cared about the institutions of self-government, our constitution, our bill of rights, rule of law, separation of powers. even the arcane rules and procedures of the senate. he knew that in a nation as big and boisterous and diverse as ours, those rules and norms are what bind us together, that give shape and order to our common life. even when we disagree, especially when we disagree. john believed in honest argument and hearing other views. he understood that if we get in the habit of bending the truth

to suit political expediency or party orthodoxy, our democracy will not work. that's why he was willing to buck his own party at times. occasionally work across the aisle on campaign phenomenon reform and immigration reform. that's why we championed a free and independent press as vital to our democratic debate, and the fact that it earned him some good coverage didn't hurt either. john understood as jfk understand, as ronald reagan understand, that part of what makes our country great is that our membership is based not on our bloodline, not what we look like, what our last names are,

it's not based on where our parents or grandparents came from or how recently they arrived but on adherence to a common creed that all of us are created equal aendowed by our creator withertain inalienable rights. we've seen footage of john pushing back during the 2008 campaign. i was grateful, but i wasn't surprised. as joe lieberman said, it was john's instinct. i never saw john treat anyone differently because of their race or religion or gender. and i'm certain that in those moments that have been referred

to during the campaign, he saw himself as defending america's character, not just mine. for he considered it the imperative of every citizen to treat all people fairly. and finally while john and i disagreed on all kinds of foreign policy issues, we stood together on america's role as the one indespendable nations, believing with great power and great blessings comes great responsibility. that burden is borne most heavily by our men and women in uniform. service members like doug and jimmy and jack who followed their father's footsteps, as well as the families who serve

alongside our troops. but john understood that our security and our influence was won not just by our military might, not just by our wealth, not just by our ability to bend others to our will but from our capacity to inspire others with our adherence to a set of universal values like rule of law and human rights and an insistence on the god-given dignity of every human being. of course, john was the first to tell us that he was not perfect. like all of us who go into public service, he did have an ego. like all of us, there was no

doubt some votes he cast, some compromises he struck, some decisions he made that he wished he could have back. it's no secret. it's been mentioned that he had a temper, and when it flared up, it was a force of nature, a wonder to behold. his jaw grinding, his face reddening, his eyes boring a hole right through you. not that i ever experienced it firsthand, mind you. but to know john was to know that as quick as his passions might flare, he was just as quick to forgive and ask for forgiveness. he knew more than most his own flaws, and his blind spots. he knew how to laugh at himself.

and that self-awareness made him all the more compelling. we didn't advertise it, but every so often over the course of my presidency, john would come over to the white house, and we'd just sit and talk in the oval office, just the two of us. we'd talk about policy, and we'd talk about family. and we'd talk about the state of our politics. and our disagreements didn't go away during these private conversations. those were real, and they were often deep, but we enjoyed the time we shared away from the bright lights, and we laughed with each other, and we learned from each other, and we never doubted the other man's sincerity or the other man's patriotism, or that when all was

said and done we were on the same team. we never doubted we were on the same team. for all of our differences, we shared a fidelity to the ideals for which generations of americans have marched and fought and sacrificed and given their lives. we considered our political battles a privilege, an opportunity to serve as stewards of those ideals here at home and to do our best to advance them around the world. we saw this country as a place where anything is possible and citizenship is an obligation to ensure it forever remains that

way. and more than once during his career, john drew comparisons to teddy roosevelt. i'm sure it's been noted that roosevelt's moon in the aree -- man in the arena seems tailored to john. roosevelt talks about those who strive, who dare to do great things. who sometimes win and sometimes come up short but always relish a good fight. a contrast to those cold, timid souls who know neither victory for defeat. isn't that the spirit we celebrate this week? that striving to be better, to do better? to be worthy of the great

inheritance that our founders bestowed? so much of our politics, our public life, our public discourse can seem small and mean and petty. trafficking and bombast and insult, and phony controversies, and manufacturer outrage. it's a politics that pretends to be brave and tough but, in fact, is born of fear. john called on us to be bigger than that. he called on us to be better than that. today is only one day in all the days that will ever be, but what

will happen in all the other days that will ever come can depend on what you do today. what better way to honor john mccain's life of service than as best we can follow his example. to prove that the willingness to get in the arena and fight for this country is not reserved for the few. it is open to all of us. that, in fact, it's demanded of all of us as citizens of this great republic. that's perhaps how we honor him best. by recognizing that there are some things bigger than party or ambition or money or fame or power. that there's some risking every

for. principles that are eternal. truths that are abiding. at his best, john showed us what that means. for that, we are all deeply in his debt. may god bless john mccain. may god bless this country he served so well. [ applause ] >> president barack obama calling on all of us to follow thexample mccain.

now the battle hymn of the republic. ♪ ♪ mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord ♪ ♪ he is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored ♪

♪ he hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword ♪ ♪ his truth is marching on ♪ glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah his truth is marching on ♪

♪ i havse ♪ they have builded him an altar in the evening dews and damps ♪ ♪ i can read his righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps his truth is marching on ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah his truth is marching on ♪ ♪

♪ in the beauty of the lilies christ was born across the sea ♪ ♪ with the glory in his bosom that transfigured you and me ♪ ♪ as he died to make men whole

♪ let us live to make men free our god is marching on ♪ glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah his truth is marching on ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah his truth is marching on ♪

on ♪ ♪ on ♪ on >> what a sight. what a sound in the national cathedral. rising battle hymn of the republic. everybody rising to pay tribute to senator john mccain. i want to bring john karl back at the national cathedral. john mccain served his country all through his life. one of the things i think we learned today is he wanted to serve his country in his death as well. >> he sure did, and this was a tribute to a krancourageous lea a great man, a tribute to an

american lifer, but it was so much more, george. that was a challenge to a deeply divided country to overcome the divisions. it was a challenge in very challenging times to live up to the mantra that was john mccain's, the mantra, the aspiration to commit yourself to a cause greater than yourself as we talked about earlier. thf this was a memorial designed to be greater than the person it is memorializing. now it's on us to commit yourself to the cause greater. >> personal in many places but also very pointed. >> very pointed. >> the politics of today is not the politics that john mccain embraced with president obama saying so much of it is small and mean, and that was very much the message that john mccain wanted to get across to all

those politicians there, sort of sitting together for a moment, but also to all of us. clearly the titles that mattered most to him were american and citizen. >> we learned so much about the man you followed closely back in 2008. >> you heard the phrase in the arena. he said that often. president obama mentioned it. john mccain was proud of being what he considered a man in the arena, someone fighting good fights. someone who spends himself in a worthy cause. that's how he saw himself. that's what he was. >> man who did not hold back during the fights. no one held back today. >> no one held back the words, sometimes raw and even defiant. sometimes elevated in the language of presidents. i come back to the concept of resilience in john mccain's life. out of the cells of hanoi, to rise up. in some ways this week, this service as well is a call to the country to rise up and rise above what he called our present

difficulties. >> the ones he was fighting again and again and again. one moment from henry kissinger talking about the time when he refused to let john mccain come back without telling, katie apologized and mccain said thank you for saying my honor. >> honor is a great word to highlight this whole event. john mccain's whole life, i was struck by how often celebrations of life highlights things of character and conviction but simultaneous it highlights the absence of it in the present home. >> we have to say how deeply strange to see everyone gathered today and the president of the united states not to be there. >> he was there, and underlining much of the talk in what was

said, but i don't think it's necessarilyl tth o our leaders to respond to him. >> we will see if that call is answered. we're going to return now to our regular programming. it's on the tv network. you can continue watching the memorial service to our streaming service online. tomorrow in a private service mccain will be buried alongside chuck larson. that naval academy, the destiny he rebelled against but could not escape. as we learned again today, america is better for it. have a good day. >> i have loved my life, all of it. i've wasted more than a few days, i suppose on pursuits that weren't as important as they seemed to be at the time. some things didn't work out as i hoped they would. i had difficult moments and a few disappointments, but by god, i enjoyed e day.

>> this s from abc news. as as the over 100,000horseshoe in