Praise and burial

Let it be said.  John McCain was an American hero.   Five years a prisoner in the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" he stayed behind when offered an early exit because he would not desert fellow prisoners to exploit his family connections.  He also served his country in Congress for over 30 years and ran for president twice.   However, for the most part it was as a partisan republican who participated in the GOP's willful destruction of customs and norms in our democracy.  That he was perceived as a "Maverick" because he deviated occasionally from his party's assault on democracy shows what a lockstep endeavor it has become.   Perhaps his most endearing quality to democrats was his opposition to The Donald, although the current *president is just the latest manifestation of his party's descent to authoritarianism.  So, yes, it is proper to mourn John McCain, but his sainthood is vastly overblown by a credulous media who succumbed to his charm and constant media pandering.