Sen. McCain’s exit ends an era of decency

The news about Sen. McCain halting treatments for his brain cancer makes me very sad.

While there are many things he’s done in his political career that I disagree with, he has acted with more integrity and decency than most politicians — and certainly more than the current crop in Washington.

When I was an network hourly radio producer, calling senators or other political leaders at odd hours for comment about breaking news was part of the everyday job. Both in that capacity and when covering stories in person on Capitol Hill, I got a pretty good sense of Sen. McCain as a person. Even that time that I called him close to midnight to comment about a POW issue, he was always gracious and respectful — and he understood that helping people understand important issues was part of his responsibility.

I am particularly sad that his sunset occurs when the values that he fought for in the military and as a lawmaker are under unprecedented attack from within our own country and from the current occupant of the White House.

Maybe as he exits, more people will listen to the remarkable speech he gave several months ago about what needs to change in Washington.

McCain was not pure himself. He made mistakes along the way. But he never acted with disrespect towards others — even when he vehemently disagreed.

I pray for his comfort at this difficult time.