Following in the footsteps of Barry Goldwater, John McCain ended his “Service to America” tour with an appearance in Prescott, Arizona. I was able to attend this function, as it is only a short walk from my house to the Yavapai County Courthouse. In the speech, Senator McCain mentioned that it was on the courthouse steps 44 years ago that Barry Goldwater kicked off his campaign against Lyndon Johnson in 1964.
Following tradition, Senator McCain has ended each of his Senate campaigns at the very same place. The speech this morning discussed Senator McCain’s two closest friends, Barry Goldwater a Republican from Arizona, and Morris Udall, a Democrat from Arizona. He briefly discussed how each of these members of Congress, from each political party, helped his career, and in fact, shaped his life. What you really got out of the speech was that it was possible to reach across the aisle in American politics, and work for the American people. It is also possible to debate issues, without getting personal and not getting into personalities. Hopefully these are standards that both political parties can respect come November.
BTW: This photograph of the Senator and his wife with Senator Kyl is one of those I took this morning.