February 17, 2021
Life with Senator John McCain
Mark Salter
Author, confidant, and political adviser to the late senator
Henry Von Kohorn, Introducer, and Mark Salter
Minutes of the 20th Meeting of the 79th Year
President Stephen Schreiber called the meeting to order at 10:15 AM. There were 167 attendees, with three guests: Jim McCloskey was the guest of Al Kaemmerlen; John Clark was the guest of Julie Denny; and Judy Funches was the guest of Christine Danser. Anne Seltzer read the minutes from the February 10th meeting.
Henry von Kohorn introduced our speaker, Mark Salter. After reading Mark Salter’s The Luckiest Man: Life with John McCain, I became a great admirer of both McCain and Salter. Salter worked for Senator McCain for many years and co-authored seven books with the senator. Their adventure commenced on Salter’s first day on the job, when McCain said “We’re both hotheads. One of us should probably work on that.”
Being a POW in Vietnam for nearly six years was a life-changing experience for McCain. He conducted himself with honor. His torture and permanent physical injuries put a lid on his naval career.
Soon after returning from Vietnam, he became navy liaison to the Congress, where he experienced how members of Congress could play a significant role. Subsequently he spent 35 years in the House and the Senate and was a presidential candidate in 2008.
Outspoken, empathetic, considering himself a stand-up comedian, he cherished the spotlight. He was also able to work in the Senate on bipartisan legislation. He and Ted Kennedy were considered a dynamic duo.
McCain deeply believed in honor and justice. As he phrased it, “I have probably traveled more than any other senator in pursuit of justice and to end human suffering.” Bangladesh, Syria, Iraq, and Libya were high on his itinerary.
The senator believed in serving causes greater than self-interest. He was able to find common cause with Senator John Kerry (Vietnam war hero who became a vocal Vietnam critic) to seek a “regularization” with Vietnam, despite his dreadful POW experience.
A person with great enthusiasm and energy, he felt that a fight not joined is a fight not engaged. He was long a national political figure but, in ways, he was a political maverick. He had wanted Senator Joe Lieberman (Al Gore’s vice-presidential running mate in 2000) to be on his 2008 presidential ticket. He never complained about Sarah Palin, who was the “great risks and great rewards” selection.
McCain was a decent man. During his 2008 campaign, he spoke of Obama’s fine qualities. He sought to have a series of Lincoln-Douglas debates, which Obama rejected. By contrast, he felt that Trump lacked honor and increasingly spoke disparagingly of President Trump.
When he knew he was dying, he made an extraordinary effort to come to Washington to vote on a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). His would be the deciding vote on the move to abolish it. McCain voted no, saying that repeal without replacement was bad for Americans.
As a political maverick, he was censured by the Arizona Republican Committee, before winning re-election with a robust majority. At his funeral, to which Trump was not invited, President George W. Bush said “He could not abide bigots and swaggering despots. There was something deep inside him that made him stand up for the little guy.
His absence is tangible, like the silence after a mighty roar.” President Obama concluded his remarks with “We never doubted the other man’s sincerity or the other man’s patriotism, or that, when all was said and done, we were on the same team.”
Respectfully submitted,
Keith Wheelock
Henry von Kohorn introduced our speaker, Mark Salter. After reading Mark Salter’s The Luckiest Man: Life with John McCain, I became a great admirer of both McCain and Salter. Salter worked for Senator McCain for many years and co-authored seven books with the senator. Their adventure commenced on Salter’s first day on the job, when McCain said “We’re both hotheads. One of us should probably work on that.”
Being a POW in Vietnam for nearly six years was a life-changing experience for McCain. He conducted himself with honor. His torture and permanent physical injuries put a lid on his naval career.
Soon after returning from Vietnam, he became navy liaison to the Congress, where he experienced how members of Congress could play a significant role. Subsequently he spent 35 years in the House and the Senate and was a presidential candidate in 2008.
Outspoken, empathetic, considering himself a stand-up comedian, he cherished the spotlight. He was also able to work in the Senate on bipartisan legislation. He and Ted Kennedy were considered a dynamic duo.
McCain deeply believed in honor and justice. As he phrased it, “I have probably traveled more than any other senator in pursuit of justice and to end human suffering.” Bangladesh, Syria, Iraq, and Libya were high on his itinerary.
The senator believed in serving causes greater than self-interest. He was able to find common cause with Senator John Kerry (Vietnam war hero who became a vocal Vietnam critic) to seek a “regularization” with Vietnam, despite his dreadful POW experience.
A person with great enthusiasm and energy, he felt that a fight not joined is a fight not engaged. He was long a national political figure but, in ways, he was a political maverick. He had wanted Senator Joe Lieberman (Al Gore’s vice-presidential running mate in 2000) to be on his 2008 presidential ticket. He never complained about Sarah Palin, who was the “great risks and great rewards” selection.
McCain was a decent man. During his 2008 campaign, he spoke of Obama’s fine qualities. He sought to have a series of Lincoln-Douglas debates, which Obama rejected. By contrast, he felt that Trump lacked honor and increasingly spoke disparagingly of President Trump.
When he knew he was dying, he made an extraordinary effort to come to Washington to vote on a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare). His would be the deciding vote on the move to abolish it. McCain voted no, saying that repeal without replacement was bad for Americans.
As a political maverick, he was censured by the Arizona Republican Committee, before winning re-election with a robust majority. At his funeral, to which Trump was not invited, President George W. Bush said “He could not abide bigots and swaggering despots. There was something deep inside him that made him stand up for the little guy.
His absence is tangible, like the silence after a mighty roar.” President Obama concluded his remarks with “We never doubted the other man’s sincerity or the other man’s patriotism, or that, when all was said and done, we were on the same team.”
Respectfully submitted,
Keith Wheelock