An open letter to Donald J. Trump:
When you insulted John McCain you insulted all of us. Well, maybe not all of us, but certainly those of us in this country and around the world who, like John McCain, strive everyday to be better human beings despite our faults and Imperfections. I disagreed with him on many political issues, and yet you insulted me when you insulted him.
When you insulted John McCain you certainly insulted our service members and veterans who, regardless of their political party, almost universally loved him. They knew that he worked for their safety and well being, not to score political points, but because he genuinely cared about them.
I know why you hated him, and it wasn’t only because he criticized you in the primaries, or because he turned thumbs down on your attempt to abolish Obamacare. You hated him because he was the type of honorable man you have never been, and never will be. I hope that I am not accused of trying to tarnish the name of John McCain when I say that he was the ultimate anti-Trump.
He was humble, never calling attention to himself. He told self-deprecating jokes on a regular basis. He was always about team, not himself. You are totally self-absorbed. You are all about you. You brag ceaselessly about yourself and your accomplishments, even the imaginary ones. You are the ultimate showboat and self-promoter.
He genuinely cared about people, even people he didn’t know. You care only about yourself. And you are a narcissistic troll.
He told the truth. even when it did not serve his purposes. If nothing else, he was honorable. You lie almost every time you open your mouth. You always say whatever you think will serve you best given the circumstances and the audience, making stuff up as you go along. You have no honor.
He admitted his mistakes publicly and asked for forgiveness. You never admit that you were wrong. Your supersized ego forces you to try to turn your mistakes into victories. On the extremely rare occasions that you had to reverse some stupid decision or another, you did so only under the most intense pressure imaginable, and then you blamed others for your failures.
He worked across the aisle on issues he felt important to this country. He promoted democracy and the rule of law around the world. Rebels fighting for those ideals in remote counties regarded him as their leader. You have vilified your opponents, buddied up with our enemies who rule using fear, and insulted and driven away our best democratic allies.
He loved his country; he was a brave man and a hero. He volunteered to serve. He elected to do one of the most dangerous jobs in the armed forces, flying attack aircraft. Captured and tortured, he refused an early ticket home insisting that all those who had been captured before him be allowed to go home first. You are a coward and you love only yourself. At the same time when John was rotting in a POW camp, young men of military age were being drafted. You hid behind your daddy’s money and your fake claim of “bone spurs”. Then, despite your respective histories, you had the gall to insult McCain’s sacrifices and service to his country.
He was loved by those of his associates that knew him best. You are only tolerated and catered to only because of your money, and now your position.
He is being honored by the entire nation. Two former Presidents of opposite parties will speak at his behalf. It is the only time in my memory that CNN, MSNBC and Fox News are saying the same nice things about anyone. It must gall you to no end that for once you are not the center of attention and that you are not even invited to his funeral. If you could see the future clearly through that narcissistic haze that clogs your brain you would be even more angered by the realization that when you die you will not be honored in that fashion and many instead will breathe a sigh of relief.
John McCain was a giant of man who wore greatness with grace. You are a small, sad excuse of a man who was accidentally elected to a huge job, and only with outside help. You are the ultimate expression of the Peter Principle – you have been promoted well beyond your level of competence. You believe that only option is to try bull your way through and hope no one will notice. Good luck with that.
I am myself a veteran and a fifth-degree black belt who considers himself much more of a man than you will ever be, but I don’t mind admitting that as I watched John McCain’s family say their last goodbyes at his casket, tears welled up in my eyes. And that was not the first time that has happened as I watched the coverage of the events following his death and the testimonies of those who knew him well. You will never inspire those kinds of emotions in anyone except perhaps your closest kin when you depart this earth, and certainly not among those who usually disagreed with you. And that is how it should be. That is all you deserve.
Cajun 8/29/2018