Former US presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush gathered with thousands of fellow mourners including ex-president, Bill Clinton, on Saturday to honour the late John McCain, the longtime Arizona senator and Vietnam war hero whose bids for the White House were dashed by the two men.
McCain asked Obama and Bush, a Democrat and a Republican, to deliver eulogies at his service, in what was seen as a final message to the country about his wish for bipartisanship.
The two former presidents did as the late senator wished. They delivered the eulogies. Bush’s eulogy was short while Obama’s was long.
The eulogy that really commanded great emotion was that delivered by McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain. Her eulogy was constantly punctuated by tears coming out of her eyes which she could not hold.
Meghan took a swipe at Trump without mentioning his name when she said: “The America of John McCain has no reason to be great again because America was always great.”
MacCain, the statesman and former prisoner of war died August 25 of brain cancer, few days to his 82nd birthday.
US president, Trump, who feuded with McCain and criticised his war record, spent the morning sending tweets about other subjects.
But top members of his administration including his daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner, chief of staff John Kelly and national security adviser John Bolton were present at the solemn cathedral service.
McCain’s family had made clear that Trump was not welcome at memorial services in Arizona and Washington or at Sunday’s private burial service in Annapolis, Maryland, at the US Naval Academy. McCain was a member of the Academy’s Class of 1958.
Inside the cathedral, guests included former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, comedian Jay Leno, former Senator Bob Dole and others joined together to honour McCain while a powerful pipe organ and brass ensemble played in the background.
McCain, who rose to the rank of captain in the US Navy, was shot down over Hanoi while on a bombing mission in 1967.
Held as a prisoner until 1973, McCain was tortured by his North Vietnamese captors in a jail that Americans dubbed the “Hanoi Hilton.” (Photo: AP)