Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 11:25 am
By Katherine Davis-Young
PHOENIX (Reuters) – The late Republican U.S. Senator John McCain was eulogized from across America’s political divide on Thursday by Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden, who hailed his longtime Senate colleague as a “brother” and beacon of bipartisanship.
Biden paid tribute to the two-time Republican presidential candidate, who died on Saturday from brain cancer at age 81, during a 90-minute memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church, the latest in a string of commemorative salutes to the Vietnam War hero and venerable politician.
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Biden, 75, credited McCain with reflecting core values, sometimes frayed in the growing rancor of the nation’s politics, that everyday Americans wanted to believe about themselves.
“They knew that John believed so deeply and so passionately in the soul of America that it made it easier for them to have confidence and faith in America,” Biden said.
He also recalled McCain as a man who could be cantankerous and stubborn but treated political opponents, including Democrats, with mutual respect while cherishing friendships struck up with those with whom he differed.
Biden, 75, first met McCain in the 1970s when McCain was a Navy Senate liaison. Biden said their close personal bond abided even when the senator from Delaware was chosen as the running mate for McCain’s Democratic rival in the 2008 presidential race, Barack Obama, who defeated McCain.
“I always thought of a John as a brother. We had a hell of a lot of family fights,” Biden said to laughter from the 3,500 or so mourners packing the auditorium.
Biden also invoked the 2015 death of his own son, Beau, from brain cancer, and that of his first wife and infant daughter in a 1972 auto accident, in offering words of sympathy to McCain‘s loved ones.
At the service’s end, McCain‘s coffin was borne out of the church to a recording of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.” It was then taken to the airport for a flight to Washington, McCain‘s last from Arizona.
The memorial came a day after thousands of admirers waited in line for hours in the blazing Arizona sun and triple-digit heat to pay final respects as McCain‘s flag-draped coffin lay in state in the Arizona Capital rotunda.
The onetime Navy fighter pilot endured 5-1/2 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam after his aircraft was shot down over Hanoi. He went on to a celebrated career on Capitol Hill, earning a reputation as a political maverick who prided himself on working across party lines on issues such as immigration, climate change and campaign finance reform.
As the Senate Armed Services Committee’s chairman, he also became a leading voice on defense.
McCain stood out during the last two years of his life as a leading Republican critic of U.S. President Donald Trump, a fellow Republican whom McCain‘s family has asked not to attend his funeral on Saturday at Washington‘s National Cathedral.
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U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is awarded the 2017 Liberty Medal by former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden at the Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller
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The honor guard carries the casket after а memorial service for U.S. Senator John McCain at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. Matt York/Pool via REUTERS
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An Honor Guard carries the casket of Senator John McCain from a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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The honor guard carries the casket after а memorial service for U.S. Senator John McCain at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. Matt York/Pool via REUTERS
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Former Vice President Joe Biden gives a tribute during a memorial service for Senator John McCain at North Phoenix Baptist Church, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. Matt York/Pool via REUTERS
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Former Vice President Joe Biden gives a tribute during a memorial service for Senator John McCain at North Phoenix Baptist Church, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. Matt York/Pool via REUTERS
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Former Vice President Joe Biden gives a tribute during a memorial service for Senator John McCain at North Phoenix Baptist Church, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. Matt York/Pool via REUTERS
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Former Vice President Joe Biden gives a tribute during a memorial service for Senator John McCain at North Phoenix Baptist Church, Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. Matt York/Pool via REUTERS
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The Armed Forces Body Bearer Team carries the casket of John McCain as family pay respects at the North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Conor Ralph
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Former Vice President Joe Biden wipes a tear while giving a tribute during the memorial service for Senator John McCain at North Phoenix Baptist Church, Phoenix, August 30, 2018. Matt York/Pool via REUTERS
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Senator John McCain’s daughter Bridget McCain speaks at a memorial service in Phoenix, August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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Bystanders look on as a motorcade carrying the casket of Senator John McCain drives from the Arizona State Capitol to a memorial service in Phoenix, August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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An honor guard carries the casket of Senator John McCain into the North Phoenix Baptist Church for a memorial service in Phoenix, Arizona, August 30, 2018. Matt York/Pool via REUTERS
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Senator John McCain’s wife Cindy and their son James (L) leave after an Honor Guard carried the casket of Senator John McCain out of the Arizona State Capitol to a memorial service in Phoenix, August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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An Honor Guard carries the casket of Senator John McCain from a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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An Honor Guard carries the casket of Senator John McCain from a memorial service at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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The Arizona National Guard stands at attention as a military transport plane carrying the casket of Senator John McCain takes off on its way to Washington, DC in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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An Honor Guard watches after placing the casket of Senator John McCain onto a military transport plane to travel to Washington, DC in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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An Honor Guard places the casket of Senator John McCain in a military transport plane to travel to Washington, DC in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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U.S. Senator John McCain’s wife Cindy (R) and family watch as an Honor Guard places the casket of Senator John McCain in a military transport plane to travel to Washington, DC in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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The Armed Forces Body Bearer Team carries the casket of late U.S. Senator John McCain out of the North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Conor Ralph
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Mrs. Cindy McCain and family pay respects to late U.S. Senator John McCain at the North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. August 30, 2018. REUTERS/Conor Ralph
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Andrew McCain gives a reading during а memorial service for U.S. Senator John McCain at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. Matt York/Pool via REUTERS
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Jay Smith plays the bagpipe during а memorial service for U.S. Senator John McCain at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. Matt York/Pool via REUTERS
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Brophy Student Ensemble sings during а memorial service for U.S. Senator John McCain at North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., August 30, 2018. Matt York/Pool via REUTERS
(Additional reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Brian Snyder in Phoenix; writing by Steve Gorman; editing by Frances Kerry, Cynthia Osterman and Michael Perry)