...but his publicized prohibition of Trump speaking at - or even attending - his funeral, just seems unbelievably petty.
Mean-spirited. Refusing to put aside Earthly quarrels for Heavenly forgiveness.
As such, it will stand in memory long after his positive points have been forgotten. Not "Malice towards none, Charity for all".
Now, I realize that the family is said to have ordered this. The provision to not invite Trump was "leaked" in May. Leaked, in this case (as in many) means: I want people to know this, but I don't want to take responsibility or criticism for openly stating it.
McCain COULD have followed up the leak, explaining that he had no desire to bring controversy into the setting, or that his family had requested it, and, for that reason, he was not inviting Trump. It would have been B$, but the kind that allows people to pretend that they buy it.
He didn't want to smooth over anything. He wanted to light a FIRE. Expect the eulogies to include lots of "I don't want to be partisan, but..." preceding a torrent of hostility to Trump. Wellstone, 2.0.
However, if it goes as I have predicted, expect the backlash to be stunning in November.
McCain leaves behind a complicated legacy that confounds truth and stated policy agendas more than once. It seems to me that he sought notoriety over policy on several occasions.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it is hard to separate a man's ego from his accomplishments in life.
In this case, it is not all that difficult.
Always the one to break against the ranks, McCain manages in death to still split the party once again.