I just received a phone call from former U.S. senator Max Cleland, who had only one thing to say about the death of his former colleague, John McCain of Arizona:
"His entire life was the definition of American patriotism."
Above is a photo taken shortly after Cleland went to the U.S. Senate in 1997, of Vietnam veterans in the chamber. McCain was the only one left.
In the photo, Cleland is at the center, obviously. Behind him, left to right: Bob Kerrey, D-Neb.; Chuck Hagel, R-Neb.; John Kerry, D-Mass.; Chuck Robb, D-Va.; and McCain.
A reader points out that one Vietnam vet is left, who wasn’t in office at the time of the above photo: U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.