our hotel, looking out at the old city and discussing all the religious and political history that had happened there over the centurie centuries. so, when i first told john that i had 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 hadassa 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. since then when i talked to john

or visited with 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, it is also 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. 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 heavenly jerusalem where i am confident the soul of john 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 characterized his magnificent life of service to america and to so many noble causes greater than himself. god speed, dear friend. may angels sing you to your eternal home. [ applause ]

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. i met john for the first time in april 1973. at a white house reception 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 family, national service was its own reward. that did not allow for special treatment. i thought of that when his vietnam mere captors 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 them for the offer, but refused it. i wondered what john would say

when we finally met. his greeting, self-effacing and 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. with his erstwhile enemy. honor was -- it is an intangible quality. it is not obligatory. it has no written code. it reflects a compulsion, free

of self-interest. it fulfills a cause not a personal ambition. it represents what a society 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 america divided over its presidency, divided over the war. amidst all the turmoil and civic unrest, divided over the best

way to protect our country and 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 ideals. in decades of congressional service, ultimately as chairman of the senate armed services committee, john was an exponent of an america strong enough to 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 l all, it's not an empty sentiment, he argued. it is the foundation of our national consciousness. to john, american values had univers univers universal applicability. there is not an 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 leadership and ideals are absent. 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 lawful and give hope to the oppressed. john will never academic maxums. he was in the front lines of all

these battles, for decency and freedom. he was an engaged warrior, fighting for his causes, with courage and with humility to the limit of the feasible. and sometimes, miraculously, even beyond it. john was all about hope. in a commencement speech at ohio 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 pursues and casual beauty of use, prove something better can endure. and endure until our last moments on earth. and that is the lovely gift at a

moment in our lives when we've sacrificed for something greater than ourselves. heroes inspire us by the matter-of-factness of their sacrifice. and the elevation. the world will be lonelier without john mccain. his ebulience, 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 ]

♪ ♪ ♪ 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 ♪ ♪ through many ♪ tis grace has brought me safe thus far ♪

♪ and when this flesh and heart shall fail ♪ ♪ ♪ was blind was so blind but now i see ♪

>> i am honored to be with you to offer my sympathies and offer 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 trouble-making pleeb 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. 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 yelled, relax, relax!

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 to his country. he was courageous, with a courage that frightened his captors and inspired his countrymen. he was honest, no matter whom it offended. presidents were not spared. he was honorable, always recognizing that his opponents were still patriots and human beings. he loved freedom with a fashion of a man who knew its absence. he respected the dignity inherent in every life, a dignity that does not stop at borders and cannot be erased by dictators. perhaps, above all, john detested the abuse of power.

he could not abide bigots. there was something deep inside of him that made him stand up for the little guy, to speak for forgotten people in forgotten places. one friend from his naval academy days recalls how john, a lowly pleeb reacted to an upper classman verbally abuse a steward. against all tradition, he told the jerk to pick on someone his own size. it was a familiar refrain during the six decades of service. where does such strength and conviction come from? perhaps from a family where honor was in the atmosphere. or 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 this combination of courage and

decency that defined john's calling and so closely paralleled the calling of his country. it's this combination of courage and decency that makes the american military something new in history. an unrivalled power for good. it's this combination of courage and decency that set america on a journey into the world, to liberate death camps, to stand guard against extremism and to work for the true peace that comes only with freedom. john felt these commitments in his bones. it is a tribute to his morally compass that dissidents from north korea to russia to china knew he was on their side. and i think their respect meant more to him than any medals in life could bring. the passion for justice and

fairness extended to our own military. when a private was poorly equipped or a seaman worked in terrible conditions, john loved nothing more than dressing down a general or admiral. he remained a troublesome pleeb to the end. those in political power were not exempt. at various points throughout his long career, john 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 either the first to tell you, he is 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, every upward on the strength of its principles. he saw a country not only as a physical place or power, but as

the carrier of enduring human aspiratio aspirations, as an advocate for the oppressed, as a defender of the peace, as a promise unwavering, 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 are 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're better than this this. america is better than this. john was a restless soul.

he was always onto the next thing. friends said 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're better for his presence among us. the world is smaller for his ded dedeparture and we'll remember him how he was, undimmed, unwavering, unequal. [ applause ]

to john's 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 as john would say, my friends, we come to celebrate an extraordinary

man. a warrior, a statesman, a patriot. embodied so much that is best in america. president bush and i are 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. to start with, john liked being unpredictable. even a little contrarian. he had no interest in conforming to some prepackaged 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 to 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 streak. after all, what better way to get a last laugh 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 political positions. throughout my presidency, john never hesitated to tell me when he thought i was screwing up, which by his calculation was about once a day. but for all our differences, for all of the times we sparred, i never tried to hide, and i think john came to understand the long-standing admiration that i had for him. by his own account, john was a

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 the highest of callers, 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. that brings to mind something that hemingway wrote in 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 spirit and duty, they didn't ring hollow. they weren't just words to him. it was a truth he had lived. and for which he was prepared to die. and it forced even the most 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 institutions, those rules, those norms are what bind us together. it gives 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 system will not work. that's why he was capable to buck his own party. he was able to work across the aisle on campaign reform, immigration reform. that's why he championshiped 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 understood, as ronald reagan understood, that part of what makes our country great is that

our membership is based not on our blood line, not on 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. endowed by our creator with certain rights. it's been mentioned today, and we've seen footage this week of john pushing back against supporters who challenged my patriotism 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 in the campaign, he saw himself as defending america's character. not just mine. he considered it the imperative of every citizen who loves this country to treat all people fairly. timely, while john and i disagreed on all kinds of foreign policy issues, we stood together on america's role as the one indispensable nation, believing that 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 stuart a security and 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 one or two 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 man in the arena oration seems tailored to john. most of you know it. roosevelt speaks of 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 nor 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 in bombast and insults and phoney controversy and manufactured outrage. it's a politics that pretends to be brave and tough, but, in fact, is borne in 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. 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, but there's some things that are worth risking everything for. principles that are eternal. truths that are abiding. it is best john showed us what that means. for that, we are all deeply in his debt. my god bless john mccain. may god bless this country he served so well. [ applause ]

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ 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 ♪

you've been listening, of course to the "ballots hybattlee republic. let me go to john weaver. john, what do you make of today and all that's going on the last hour? >> -- meghan mccain's powerful attribute bult atribute. let ate speak truth to the american people. this is america's rebuke to the current president and the politics of division and hate. that's what's on display here, chris. >> let me go to john meeacham. now today i hear the word "big." your thoughts?

>> well, there's a lot of argument by implication here, and i think it's an attempt to do full justice to senator mccain. mccain himself is first in our hearts right now, not least because he was a relentlessly candid man. when he was alive and when he was less than candid, he tended to apologize for it. and so the people who are speaking today in this sacred space at this sacred hour, i think are within the bounds of propriety and grace and dignity, attempting to be candid about what mccain means not simply was he's the son and grandson of admirable, in and out simply because he was shot down out of the sky. not simply because he endured

unimaginable torture in captivity, and not simply because he fought in the political arena for so many decades. he is in fact being remembered in this way because his life stands in the starkest of contrasts with the incumbent president of the united states. it would be less than intellectually honest, less than john mccain, not to at least flick at that reality. >> steve schmidt, i was thinking about the progressives watching this program, watching this funeral service, and thinking why are they making such a big deal about a conservative? you can join me in this. i would say back to anyone who has that view, imagine how great it would be to have somebody of john mccain's character to have them on your fight, to take on any powerful person, boo you th because they believe in the

cause. i think both sides would like a mccain right now. >> this is a service that -- this is a service, chris, i think that is appropriate for the departure of one of the greatest living americans. john mccain. a man who served the country with love and devotion for his entire life. we talk about the qualities y i his kirk, but an important part of it was defiance. what you see in the remark of the two former presidents, defiance against this low and vile moment, a rebuke to this terrible moment in american life, this moment of meanness, cruelty. let's listen in.

>>. >> -- to know and to love as a companion. console us who mourn, give us faith to see in death the gate of especial life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth until by your call we are reunited with those who have gone before. through jesus christ our lord. amen. most merciful gods, whose wisdom is beyond our understanding, deal graciously with john's family and friends in their grief. surround them with your love, that they may not be overwhelmed by their loss, but have confidence in your goodness and strength to meet the days to come. through jesus christ our lord. amen.

a reading from the book of wisdom. the souls of the righteous are in the hand of god, and no torment will ever touch them. in the eyes of the foolish they

seemed to have died, and their departure was thought to be a disaster, and their going from us to be their destruction. but they are at peace. for those in the sight of others they were punished, their hope is full of immortality. having been disciplined alternates, they will receive great good, because god tested them and found them worthy of himself. those who trust in him will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace and mercy are upon his holy ones, and he he who watches over his elect. the world of the lord. >> thanks be to god. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the lord is my shepherd ♪ therefore i can lack nothing

♪ he shall feed me in a green pasture ♪ ♪ and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort ♪ ♪ he shall convert my soul ♪ and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness ♪ ♪ for his name's sake ♪ for his name's sake