John McCain

== Cultural and political image ==
{{Main|Public image of John McCain}}
[[File:McCain2008MemorialDay.jpg|thumb|alt=White-haired man standing at podium and speaking and gesturing with outstretched arm and an outdoor venue|McCain speaks in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], on [[Memorial Day]], 2008, while wearing his [[Purple Heart]].]]
[[File:US Navy 110128-N-3303D-001 Sen. John McCain and his wife, Cindy, watch as their son, Jimmy McCain, pins aviator's wings on his brother, Ensign John.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Four people in a room|McCain and his wife Cindy watch in 2011 as their son Jimmy pins aviator wings on their son Ensign John Sidney McCain IV.]]
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McCain's personal character was a dominant feature of his public image.<ref name="nyt-brooks">[[David Brooks (journalist)|Brooks, David]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/opinion/13brooks.html "The Character Factor"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (November 13, 2007). Retrieved December 19, 2007.</ref> This image includes the military service of both himself and his family,<ref>Mitchell, Josh. [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1424505821.html?dids=1424505821:1424505821&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Feb+5%2C+2008&author=Josh+Mitchell&pub=The+Sun&desc=ELECTION+2008 "Military Veterans step up for John McCain"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604224055/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/1424505821.html?dids=1424505821:1424505821&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Feb+5%2C+2008&author=Josh+Mitchell&pub=The+Sun&desc=ELECTION+2008 |date=June 4, 2013 }}, ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]'' (February 5, 2008). Retrieved May 10, 2008.</ref> the circumstances and tensions surrounding the end of his first marriage and beginning of second,<ref name="nyt122707" /> his maverick political persona,<ref name="az-maverick" /> his temper,<ref name="Keller" /> his admitted problem of occasional ill-considered remarks,<ref name="az-senate" /> and his close ties to his children from both his marriages.<ref name="nyt122707" />  Perhaps the most egregious of McCain's "occasional ill-considered remarks" was his widely condemned comments surrounding his feelings towards the Vietnamese people in which he said, "I hate the [[gook]]s. I will hate them as long as I live." These comments were widely condemned by the Asian-American community. His comments were also seen as a continuation of a [[Racism in the United States#Asian Americans|long history of anti-Asian sentiment in America]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 21, 2008 |title=John McCain: "I Hate The Gooks" |url=https://hyphenmagazine.com/blog/2008/05/john-mccain-i-hate-gooks |access-date=December 7, 2022 |website=Hyphen Magazine |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 9, 2020 |title=The long history of racism against Asian Americans in the U.S. |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/the-long-history-of-racism-against-asian-americans-in-the-u-s |access-date=December 7, 2022 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Jennifer |date=May 18, 2022 |title=Confronting the invisibility of anti-Asian racism |url=https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we-rise/2022/05/18/confronting-the-invisibility-of-anti-asian-racism/ |access-date=December 7, 2022 |website=Brookings |language=en-US}}</ref> In his years as a Senator, McCain took more than 20 trips to Vietnam, repeatedly visiting the place of his captivity.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last1=Phillips |first1=Ivan |last2=Watson |first2=Jo |last3=Shelley |first3=Mark |date=August 29, 2018 |title=John McCain remembered in Vietnam as a friend, not an enemy |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/29/asia/john-mccain-remembered-in-vietnam-intl/index.html |access-date=March 27, 2023 |publisher=CNN |language=en}}</ref> After his death, former Vietnamese ambassador to the United States {{Interlanguage link|Phạm Quang Vinh|lt=Phạm Quang Vinh|vi|Phạm Quang Vinh (đại sứ)}} described him as "a great friend to Vietnam."<ref name=":0" />

McCain's political appeal was more nonpartisan and less ideological compared to many other national politicians.<ref>[[Gary Jacobson|Jacobson, Gary]]. "Partisan Differences in Job Approval Ratings of George W. Bush and U.S. Senators in the States: An Exploration", Paper presented at annual meeting of the [[American Political Science Association]], August 2006.</ref> His stature and reputation stemmed partly from his service in the Vietnam War.<ref name="hunt-hero">[[Al Hunt|Hunt, Albert]]. "John McCain and Russell Feingold" in ''Profiles in Courage for Our Time'', 256 ([[Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy, Caroline]] ed., [[Hyperion (publisher)|Hyperion]] 2003): "The hero is indispensable to the McCain persona." {{ISBN|0-7868-8678-1}}.</ref> He also carried physical vestiges of his war wounds, as well as his melanoma surgery.<ref>[[Todd S. Purdum|Purdum, Todd]]. [http://www.vanityfair.com./politics/features/2007/02/mccain200702 "Prisoner of Conscience"], ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', February 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2008. The surgery took place in 2000.</ref> When campaigning, he quipped: "I am older than dirt and have more scars than Frankenstein."<ref>Simon, Roger. [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0107/2467.html "McCain's Health and Age Present Campaign Challenge"], ''[[The Politico]]'' (January 27, 2007). Retrieved November 23, 2007.</ref>

Writers often extolled McCain for his courage not just in war but in politics, and wrote sympathetically about him.<ref name="vf0207" /><ref name="nyt-brooks" /><ref name="hunt-hero" /><ref>[[Michael Lewis (author)|Lewis, Michael]], [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/21/magazine/i-liked-a-pol.html "I Liked a Pol"], ''[[The New York Times Magazine]]'' (November 21, 1999) Retrieved July 2, 2008.</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Wallace |first=David Foster |date=April 13, 2000 |title=The Weasel, Twelve Monkeys and The Shrub |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/18420304/the_weasel_twelve_monkeys_and_the_shrub/1 |access-date=October 26, 2023 |archive-date=May 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519105330/http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/18420304/the_weasel_twelve_monkeys_and_the_shrub/1 |url-status=dead }}</ref> McCain's shift of political stances and attitudes during and especially after the 2008 presidential campaign, including his self-repudiation of the maverick label, left many writers expressing sadness and wondering what had happened to the McCain they thought they had known.<ref>[[David Margolick|Margolick, David]], [http://www.newsweek.com/2010/04/02/the-mccain-mutiny.html "The McCain Mutiny"], ''[[Newsweek]]'' (April 2, 2010). Retrieved September 12, 2010.</ref><ref name="fallows-myst">[[James Fallows|Fallows, James]], [https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/12/the-mystery-of-john-mccain/67428/ "The Mystery of John McCain"], ''[[The Atlantic]]'' (December 3, 2010). Retrieved May 21, 2011.</ref><ref>[[Niall O'Dowd|O'Dowd, Niall]], [http://www.irishcentral.com/story/news/periscope/john-mccain-a-sad-figure-as-he-loses-all-that-made-him-great-and-an-american-original-112139639.html "John McCain a sad figure as he loses all that made him great and an American original"], Irish Central (December 18, 2010). Retrieved May 21, 2011.</ref><ref name="vf1110">[[Todd S. Purdum|Purdum, Todd S.]], [https://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2010/11/mccain-201011?printable=true "The Man Who Never Was"], ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' (November 2010). Retrieved May 21, 2011.</ref> By 2013, some aspects of the older McCain had returned, and his image became that of a kaleidoscope of contradictory tendencies, including as a [[Republican in Name Only]] or a "traitor" to his party<ref>{{cite web |title=John McCain: Traitor to the conservative cause |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jul/28/john-mccain-traitor-conservative-cause/ |website=The Washington Times |access-date=March 28, 2020}}</ref> and, as one writer listed, "the maverick, the former maverick, the curmudgeon, the bridge builder, the war hero bent on transcending the call of self-interest to serve a cause greater than himself, the sore loser, old bull, last lion, loose cannon, happy warrior, elder statesman, lion in winter."<ref name="nytm-ml2013">[[Mark Leibovich|Leibovich, Mark]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/22/magazine/john-mccain.html "How John McCain Turned His Clichés Into Meaning"], ''[[The New York Times Magazine]]'' (December 18, 2013). Retrieved December 24, 2013.</ref> Vietnam War journalist [[Sydney Schanberg]] reported that McCain worked very hard to hide from the public stunning information about [[Vietnam War POW/MIA issue|American prisoners in Vietnam]] who, unlike him, did not return home.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Report: McCain Suppressed Info on Fellow Vietnam POWs Left Behind |url=http://www.democracynow.org/2008/10/23/report_mccain_suppressed_info_on_fellow |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Democracy Now! |language=en}}</ref>

In his own estimation, McCain was straightforward and direct, but impatient.<ref>McCain, ''Worth the Fighting For'', xvii: "God has given me heart enough for my ambitions, but too little forbearance to pursue them by routes other than a straight line."</ref> His other traits included a penchant for lucky charms,<ref>Milbank, Dana. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/2000-02/19/067r-021900-idx.html "A Candidate's Lucky Charms"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (February 19, 2000). Retrieved April 8, 2006.</ref> and a sense of humor that sometimes backfired spectacularly, as when he made a joke in 1998 about the Clintons that was widely deemed not fit to print in newspapers: "Do you know why [[Chelsea Clinton]] is so ugly?&nbsp;– Because [[Janet Reno]] is her father."<ref name="salon-joke">Corn, David. [https://web.archive.org/web/20080307083914/http://www.salon.com/news/1998/06/25newsb.html "A joke too bad to print?"], ''[[Salon (website)|Salon]]'' (June 25, 1998). Retrieved August 16, 2006. [[Chelsea Clinton]] is the daughter of [[Bill Clinton]] and [[Hillary Clinton]]. In 1998, [[Janet Reno]] was the [[Attorney General of the United States]].</ref><ref name=gua-ep>Pilkington, Ed. [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/sep/02/women.johnmccain "The joke that should have sunk McCain"], ''The Guardian'' (September 2, 2008). Retrieved September 3, 2008.</ref> McCain subsequently apologized profusely,<ref>Timberg, ''American Odyssey'', 194.</ref> and the Clinton White House accepted his apology.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/30267267.html?dids=30267267:30267267&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT|title=The Reliable Source|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|author1=Gerhart, Ann|author2=Groer, Annie|date=June 16, 1998|access-date=May 24, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511120126/https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/30267267.html?dids=30267267:30267267&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT|archive-date=May 11, 2011}}</ref> McCain did not shy away from addressing his shortcomings, and he apologized for them.<ref name="az-senate" /><ref>[[Maureen Dowd|Dowd, Maureen]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/21/opinion/liberties-the-joke-s-on-him.html "The Joke's On Him"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (June 21, 1998). Retrieved April 2, 2008.</ref> He was known for sometimes being prickly<ref>Drew, ''Citizen McCain'', 23.</ref> and hot-tempered<ref>[http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/mediapolitics/1666.html "Best and Worst of Congress"], ''[[Washingtonian (magazine)|Washingtonian]]'', September 2006. Retrieved January 19, 2008.</ref> with Senate colleagues, but his relations with his own Senate staff were more cordial, and inspired loyalty towards him.<ref>Drew, ''Citizen McCain'', pp. 21–22.</ref><ref>Zengerle, Jason. [https://web.archive.org/web/20090626114313/http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=f555f3f5-dc82-4193-a381-1b97a47d7a09 "Papa John"], ''[[The New Republic]]'' (April 23, 2008). Retrieved April 11, 2008.</ref> He formed a strong bond with two senators, Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, over hawkish foreign policy and overseas travel, and they became dubbed the "Three Amigos".<ref name="amigos">Steinhauer, Jennifer. [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/27/us/politics/liebermans-retirement-is-end-of-three-amigos.html "Foreign Policy's Bipartisan Trio Becomes Republican Duo"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (November 26, 2012). Retrieved December 20, 2014.</ref>

McCain acknowledged having said intemperate things in years past,<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.newsweek.com:80/id/129661/output/print| url-status=dead| archive-date=June 25, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090625230617/http://www.newsweek.com/id/129661/output/print |title=A Conversation About What's Worth the Fight |work=[[Newsweek]] |date=March 29, 2008 |quote=I have&nbsp;– although certainly not in recent years&nbsp;– lost my temper and said intemperate things{{nbsp}}... I feel passionately about issues, and the day that passion goes away is the day I will go down to the old soldiers' home and find my rocking chair.| access-date= May 10, 2008}}</ref> though he also said that many stories have been exaggerated.<ref>[http://www.nysun.com/national/on-the-hustings-2008-04-21/75005/ "On The Hustings – April 21, 2008"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919033516/http://www.nysun.com/national/on-the-hustings-2008-04-21/75005/ |date=September 19, 2008 }}, ''[[The New York Sun]]'' (April 21, 2008): "I am very happy to be a passionate man{{nbsp}}... many times I deal passionately when I find things that are not in the best interests of the American people. And so, look, 20, 25 years ago, 15 years ago, that's fine, and those stories here are either totally untrue or grossly exaggerated." Retrieved May 10, 2008.</ref> One [[psychoanalysis|psychoanalytic]] comparison suggested that McCain was not the first presidential candidate to have a temper,<ref>Renshon, Stanley. "The Comparative Psychoanalytic Study of Political Leaders: John McCain and the Limits of Trait Psychology" in ''Profiling Political Leaders: Cross-cultural Studies of Personality and Behavior'', 245 (Feldman and Valenty eds., Greenwood Publishing 2001): "McCain was not the only candidate or leader to have a temper." {{ISBN|0-275-97036-1}}.</ref> and cultural critic [[Julia Keller]] argued that voters want leaders who are passionate, engaged, fiery, and feisty.<ref name="Keller">[[Julia Keller|Keller, Julia]]. [http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-05-01/features/0804290451_1_john-mccain-temper-oughta "Me? A bad temper? Why, I oughta{{nbsp}}..."], ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' (May 1, 2008): "Anecdotes about McCain's short fuse&nbsp;– dashing off nasty letters, manhandling colleagues when they oppose him&nbsp;– have popped up in recent profiles. Conversely, though, we also want people in public life to be passionate and engaged. We want them to be fiery and feisty. We like them to care enough to blow their stacks every once in a while. Otherwise, we question the sincerity of their convictions." Retrieved May 10, 2008.</ref> McCain employed both profanity<ref>Coleman, Michael. [http://www.abqjournal.com/cgi-bin/decision.pl?attempted=www.abqjournal.com/news/washington/1coleman04-27-08.htm "Domenici Knows McCain Temper"], ''[[Albuquerque Journal]]'', (April 27, 2008). Retrieved May 10, 2008.</ref> and shouting on occasion, although such incidents became less frequent over the years.<ref name="Kranish">[[Michael Kranish|Kranish, Michael]]. [https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/ "Famed McCain temper is tamed"], ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' (January 27, 2008). Retrieved April 28, 2008.</ref><ref>Kane, Paul. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/03/AR2008020303242_pf.html "GOP Senators Reassess Views About McCain"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (February 4, 2008): "the past few years have seen fewer McCain outbursts, prompting some senators and aides to suggest privately that he is working to control his temper." Retrieved May 10, 2008.</ref> Lieberman made this observation: "It is not the kind of anger that is a loss of control. He is a very controlled person."<ref name="Kranish" /> Senator [[Thad Cochran]], who knew McCain for decades and had battled him over [[Earmark (politics)|earmarks]],<ref>[[Robert Novak|Novak, Robert]]. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/06/AR2008020603721_pf.html "A Pork Baron Strikes Back"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (February 7, 2008). Retrieved May 4, 2008.</ref><ref>[[Michael Leahy (author)|Leahy, Michael]]. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/19/AR2008041902224.html "McCain: A Question of Temperament"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (April 20, 2008). ("Cornyn is now a McCain supporter, as is Republican Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, himself a past target of McCain's sharp tongue, especially over what McCain regarded as Cochran's hunger for pork-barrel projects in his state. Cochran landed in newspapers early during the campaign after declaring that the thought of McCain in the Oval Office 'sends a cold chill down my spine.'") Retrieved April 28, 2008. McCain aide [[Mark Salter]] challenged the accuracy of some other elements of Leahy's article; see [https://web.archive.org/web/20090126033525/http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OWFmYTNmYTQ5OTcyY2QyN2ZmZDg1YzNlZWU3ODk3MjI%3D "McCain's Temper, Ctd."], ''[[National Review]]'' (April 20, 2008). Retrieved May 4, 2008.</ref> expressed concern about a McCain presidency: "He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."<ref name="Kranish" /> Yet Cochran supported McCain for president when it was clear he would win the nomination.<ref>Raju, Manu. [http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/mccain-reaches-out-to-gop-senators-with-weekly-meetings-2008-04-30.html "McCain reaches out to GOP senators with weekly meetings"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908005920/http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/mccain-reaches-out-to-gop-senators-with-weekly-meetings-2008-04-30.html |date=September 8, 2008 }}, ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'' (April 30, 2008). Retrieved May 4, 2008</ref> The ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' editorial board called McCain a patriot, who although sometimes wrong was fearless, and that he deserves to be thought of among the few US senators in history, whose names are more recognizable than some presidents.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/editorials/ct-edit-mccainobit-20171215-story.html |title=John McCain, American patriot |date=August 25, 2018 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=August 27, 2018 }}</ref>

All McCain's family members were on good terms with him,<ref name="nyt122707" /> and he defended them against some of the negative consequences of his high-profile political lifestyle.<ref>Timberg, ''American Odyssey'', pp. 144–45.</ref><ref>[[Elisabeth Bumiller|Bumiller, Elisabeth]]. [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/us/politics/24mccain.html "Two McCain Moments, Rarely Mentioned"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (March 24, 2008). Retrieved March 24, 2008.</ref> His family's military tradition extends to the latest generation: son John Sidney IV ("Jack") graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2009, becoming the fourth generation John S. McCain to do so, and is a helicopter pilot; son James served two tours with the [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] in the [[Iraq War]]; and son Doug flew jets in the navy.<ref name="nyt122707" /><ref>Tilghman, Andrew. [http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/03/marine_mccainskids_030808/ "McCain win might stop sons from deploying"], ''[[Navy Times]]'' (March 10, 2008). Retrieved March 28, 2008.</ref><ref>Stolberg, Sheryl Gay. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/23/us/politics/23obama.html "Obama Is Embraced at Annapolis"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' (May 23, 2009). Retrieved May 25, 2009.</ref> His daughter Meghan became a blogging and Twittering presence in the debate about the future of the Republican Party following the 2008 elections, and showed some of his maverick tendencies.<ref>[[Kathleen Parker|Parker, Kathleen]]. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/24/AR2009032402465_2.html "Another McCain Throws Down a Challenge"], ''[[The Washington Post]]'' (March 25, 2009). Retrieved May 25, 2009.</ref><ref>Tobin, Frances. [http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/02/10/is-meghan-mccain-miss-maverick-undermining-her-daddy/ "Is Meghan McCain, Miss Maverick, Undermining Her Daddy?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213075926/http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/02/10/is-meghan-mccain-miss-maverick-undermining-her-daddy/ |date=February 13, 2010 }}, ''[[Politics Daily]]'' (February 10, 2010). Retrieved February 27, 2010.</ref> In 2017 Meghan joined the cast of the popular ABC talk show ''[[The View (talk show)|The View]]'' as a co-host.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abc.go.com/shows/the-view/cast/meghan-mccain|title=Meghan McCain |website=ABC The View|access-date=October 7, 2018}}</ref> Senator McCain himself also appeared as a guest on the program.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abc.go.com/shows/the-view/video/pl5554876/VDKA4127300|title= Senator John McCain on 'The View': Clarifies Draft Dodging Comment and Laughs at Trump's Threats|website=ABC The View|access-date=October 7, 2018}}</ref>

McCain appeared in several television shows and films while he was a sitting senator. He made uncredited [[cameo appearance]]s in ''[[Wedding Crashers]]'' and ''24'' and had two uncredited cameos in ''Parks and Recreation''. McCain also hosted ''Saturday Night Live'' in 2002 and appeared in two episodes in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=John McCain |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0564587/ |publisher=[[IMDb]] |access-date=September 2, 2018}}</ref>