John McCain Asked to Be Eulogized by Obama, George W. Bush
Prior to his death Saturday, John McCain asked that two of his most notable political opponents — both of whom defeated him — deliver eulogies at this funeral.
The late U.S. senator wanted former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush to speak at the services, according to CBS News.
Obama, who bested McCain in the 2012 general election to become president, was among the chorus of voices to issue statements after the 81-year-old former prisoner of war lost his final battle to an aggressive form of brain cancer.
"Few of us have been tested the way John once was, or required to show the kind of courage that he did," Obama's statement read, in part. "But all of us can aspire to the courage to put the greater good above our own. At John's best, he showed us what that means. And for that, we are all in his debt."
Bush, who beat McCain to become the 2000 Republican presidential nominee, also made a public statement.
"Some lives are so vivid, it is difficult to imagine them ended," Bush wrote. "Some voices are so vibrant, it is hard to think of them stilled."
Final details of the service were not released as of Sunday morning. However, McCain stated in a 2017 interview with "60 Minutes" that he'd like his service to be held at the Naval Academy.
It has been confirmed that former Vice President Joe Biden will speak at a separate service to be held in McCain's home state of Arizona, where McCain had served as US Senator since 1987.
He died at his Arizona home.
He was admitted earlier that month to Walter Reed National Military Center for treatment of side effects from chemotherapy and radiation to beat glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.
He was diagnosed in July 2017 and began treatment in September at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, next to Walter Reed.
Related Video: Veterans Pay Tribute to John McCain
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