John McCain

I'm not sure how I feel about Senator John McCain.

McCain used to be someone who could speak truth to power and occasionally stepped up to earn his "maverick" nickname, such as when he saved Obamacare. He was also a vigorous opponent of torture, having survived years of it in Vietnam, a tool which modern Republican Presidents seem to love.

His best days were during the time when he goodheartedly appeared regularly on The Daily Show and called Jon Stewart a friend. But he was also a warmonger, the biggest Senate cheerleader for the war in Iraq, and behaved pretty badly during the Obama Administration, seemingly at times driven by revenge for having lost the election. After the election, he stopped appearing on The Daily Show.

So upon his death this weekend and plaudits raining down from both the Left and the Right (notably NOT from our Toddler in Chief), I was feeling ambivalent.

Until I read this:  The Myth of John McCain

I think it pretty accurately lays out how McCain had a positive reputation, despite his actual votes on a host of bad policies. Rather than me repeat the whole thing, just go and read it.