PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write. 

It struck me as incredible that, even as Senator John McCain faced imminent death early last week, President Donald Trump could not bring himself to express condolences.

Yet, when McCain passed away yesterday, Trump finally produced a quick, though relatively pro-forma, Tweet: “My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you!”

I say good. As McCain died, Trump finally paid a little tribute.

The fight between Trump and McCain had reached epic proportions in recent years, indicating that, at least in this case, politics trumped (pardon the word) sensibility.

From my post out of the fray in the West, Trump’s dismissive attitude about McCain always amazed me. His comment that McCain was not an American hero because he was captured during the Vietnam War should have been an embarrassment to everyone who touted Trump’s ability to rise to be U.S. president, then applauded him when he succeeded.

Even supporters of the military gave Trump a pass on how he ridiculed a prisoner of war who fought bravely for his country.

I never gave Trump that pass. It was one of the worst of his criticisms of others, and it led me to cement my opposition to the worst of U.S. presidents.

Tributes to McCain came in pouring in yesterday. A brief summary:

• From former president George W. Bush: “John McCain was a man of deep conviction and a patriot of the highest order.”
• From former president Bill Clinton: “Senator John McCain believed that every citizen has a responsibility to make something of the freedoms given by our Constitution, and from his heroic service in the Navy to his 35 years in Congress, he lived by his creed every day.”
• From McCain’s rival for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential race, Mitt Romney: “John McCain defined a life of honor.”
• From Majority Leader Mitch McConnell: “In an era filled with cynicism about national unity and public service, John McCain’s life shone as a bright example. He showed us that boundless patriotism and self-sacrifice are not outdated concepts or clichés, but the building blocks of an extraordinary American life.”
• From Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer: “As you go through life, you meet few truly great people. John McCain was one of them. His dedication to his country and the military were unsurpassed, and maybe most of all, he was a truth teller — never afraid to speak truth to power in an era where that has become all too rare. The Senate, the United States, and the world are lesser places without John McCain.”

Schumer also said he would propose a resolution to name a Senate building in McCain’s honor. For a person who loved the institution of the Senate, it would be a fitting honor.

McCain was a true American hero. I didn’t always agree with him on his political views, but so what. He did what he did with commitment and honor, providing a good example for how to be a statesman.