A Prayer For John McCain

      In the wee hours of last Friday morning United States Senator John McCain gave the "No"' heard 'round the world,

...and the thumbs-down that went viral,

...when he cast the third Republican "No" vote that sunk the partial repeal of Obamacare nicknamed "Skinny Repeal," a name as silly as the notion, rendered the more absurd when many Republican senators admitted that the the bill was terrible and that they were only voting for it on a promise from Speaker Paul Ryan that the House wouldn't pass the bill after they, the Senate, had passed it.
      Seriously, who votes  a terrible bill into law while crossing their fingers that it won't actually become law?  

   Obviously not Maine  Senator Susan Collins,

...or Alaska  Senator Lisa Murkowski,

...both of whom had already made it clear that they would not support such convoluted nonsense as  a "Skinny Repeal."
   

  But it was 80-year-old John McCain,  scarred but looking strong and defiant in the face of a recent diagnosis of brain cancer,

...who cut short his recovery from recent brain surgery and showed up on the Senate floor to cast the surprise vote that that drew stunned gasps from colleagues on his side of the aisle,  stunned applause from those on the other side, and saved the health insurance of the 15 million Americans who would have lost theirs by next year if "Skinny Repeal" had passed.

    Upon leaving the Senate chamber John McCain was swamped by excited reporters eager for his statement as to why he voted as he did. 
      His answer: "Because I thought it was the right thing to do."
      Simple, eloquent, humble, and straight from the heart.

     Those were the words of a man who is facing his own mortality, who knows that his days in this world may well be numbered, that he may soon be called to meet his Creator and give account of his life.
      John McCain has no more time, no more need to score political points or advance his career or  ambitions.
      He's a man who must know that all that's left for him now is his legacy and history's record of how well he served his fellow Americans.    
      No doubt John McCain has taken his share of missteps during his career,

...but in his long career in service to his country he's had his  moments of heroism as well,

...amidst the battles he's fought, losses he's suffered and victories he's won.    
     Immediately after the defeat of the Skinny Repeal John McCain left Washington and returned home to Arizona to fight another battle, 
      Today he'll begin undergoing an aggressive treatment against brain cancer. 
      Prayers that he'll win this battle, too.   

References:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/john-mccains-no-vote-gop-health-bill-elicits-gasps-senate-chamber-132236698.html

https://www.yahoo.com/news/john-mccain-defends-health-care-070606535.html

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/7/28/16058488/mccain-skinny-repeal-vote-no-explain-statement?yptr=yahoo

"Equal And Opposite Reactions"
         by Patti Liszkay
is available at
http://www.blackrosewriting.com/romance/equalandoppositereactions
amazon.com
barnesandnoble.com
Kindle      Nook
Gramercy Books in Bexley, Ohio