John McCain - who came to American politics

John McCain is an unconventional Republican congressman who has a hardline stance and advocates for promoting Vietnam-US relations.

US Senator John McCain passes away

John McCain in Colorado October 2008. Photo: Reuters.

Senator John McCain served only one employer throughout his career: America.

That is his family tradition. McCain is a descendant of a captain in the army of George Washington during the American Revolutionary War in the 18th century.

He died in Arizona on the afternoon of June 25 (August 26 morning Vietnam time) at the age of 81. World leaders have expressed their condolences over his passing. The media called him a "giant" of American politics.

Like his father and grandfather - both four-star generals, John McCain also served in the military. He fought in Vietnam as a naval pilot. When carrying out the bombing on October 26, 1967, McCain's plane was hit in the sky over Hanoi and he became a prisoner of war. McCain and many other American prisoners of war were released on March 14, 1973.

McCain has been married twice. He lived with his first wife, Carol Shepp, a model from Philadelphia from 1965 to 1980. He moved on with Cindy Lou Hensley, a teacher from Arizona in the mid-1980s. He had seven children, including seven children. have three adopted children.

After leaving the army, McCain entered politics. After moving to his wife's hometown of Arizona, McCain won a seat in the US House of Representatives in 1982. His ambitions increased and he quickly entered the Senate - the most powerful political body in America. It became his second home in 30 years, according to AFP.

McCain did not forget about his time in Vietnam. He and Democratic Senator John Kerry, also a Vietnam War veteran, pushed to end the US trade embargo, leading to the normalization of bilateral relations. He went to Vietnam many times, revisiting the ruins of Hoa Lo cabinet, where he had been held as a prisoner for more than 5 years.

John McCain gives an interview in the US after being released by Vietnam in 1973. Photo: Reuters.

The senator is known for being an unconventional Republican who has repeatedly opposed his party on a variety of issues, from financial reform to immigration.

"It's a title given to me a long time ago," McCain said in 2010 of what is often described by the media as unconventional. "I can't decide what titles they give me. I can only say that I always act according to what I consider to be in the interest of the country. And that is how I will always behave."

He ran for president of the United States in 2000, attracting voters with his moderate, slightly right-wing vision and outspoken style. However, he lost the Republican primary to George W. Bush.

After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, McCain strongly supported the use of force by the United States abroad, such as in Afghanistan and Iraq. When many suggested that his "hawkish" views could cost him voters during the 2008 campaign, McCain replied: "I would rather lose the campaign than the war."

However, McCain later admitted in his memoirs that the allegation that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction was false.

In 2008, McCain passed the primary election, becoming the representative candidate of the Republican Party. But he upset many in the party by choosing inexperienced Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential candidate. In the end, McCain was defeated by Democratic candidate Barack Obama. McCain joked about his frustration with two failed bids: "Sleep for two hours, wake up and cry, sleep for two hours, wake up and cry."

McCain believes that American values should be shared and protected around the world. He has flown many times to hotspots such as Baghdad, Kabul or Kiev and is greeted enthusiastically as a head of state instead of a legislator.

After Russia received US sanctions for annexing Crimea in 2014, Moscow blacklisted McCain. "I guess this means my spring break in Siberia has been canceled," joked McCain in response to the move.

One of McCain's greatest legislative achievements was the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which regulates how campaigns should be financed. In 2005, his prisoner treatment bill was also passed by the Senate with overwhelming support. He is also widely remembered for proposing to raise tobacco taxes in 1998 to raise funds for anti-smoking campaigns and help states pay for smoking-related medical costs.

McCain is known for having a bad relationship with Trump. Trump's nationalist and protectionist views run counter to the senator's beliefs. He also frequently criticized Trump's positive words when talking about Putin.

In July 2017, McCain was diagnosed with brain cancer. The illness kept him out of the Senate for months, but that didn't make him want to withdraw from politics. On July 28, 2017, McCain entered the Senate auditorium to vote against repealing the Obamacare health care law, making it impossible for Trump to deliver on his campaign promise.

In his memoirs published in June, McCain wrote that he hated leaving the world, but had no complaints. "I have known great passions, seen miracles, fought a war, and helped make peace," McCain wrote. "I've lived a good life and been stripped of all affluence. I've been as lonely as anyone. I've been with heroes. I've hit the bottom of despair, but I've tasted it too. experience extreme joy".

"I have made a small place for myself in the American story and in the history of my time."