“When a president makes life and death decisions, he should draw strength and wisdom from broad and deep experience with the reasons for and the risks of committing our children to our defense. For no matter how many others are involved in the decision, the president is a lonely man in a dark room when the casualty reports come in.”

American politician and naval officer

John McCain was an American politician and naval officer who represented Arizona in the United States Congress for more than 35 years. He served first as a U.S. representative from 1983 to 1987, then as a U.S. senator from 1987 until his death in 2018. A Republican, he was the party’s nominee for president in 2008. McCain’s long public career was centered on Arizona and on national politics. He spent decades in Congress, moving from the House to the Senate and remaining there until the end of his life. His name is closely tied to the Republican Party and to the 2008 presidential race.