John McCain’s funeral will reportedly include eulogies from former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, when the senator passes away.
The Arizona Republican has been arranging his funeral service and getting his affairs in order recently as his battle with brain cancer rages on. According to report by NBC News, that includes requesting speeches from the two most recent U.S. presidents, with whom McCain worked as a senator.
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The news comes on the heels of the revelation that McCain’s staff has invited Vice President Mike Pence to the funeral, but not President Donald Trump himself. The president and McCain have a famously contentious relationship — clashing on issues including treatment of refugees and conduct with members of the press.
On Saturday, The New York Times reported that McCain’s funeral will be held at the Washington National Cathedral. The senator is currently in his home in Phoenix, where he continues his duties as a senator by communicating with staffers in the nation’s capitol. He also undergoes a few hours of physical therapy a day, and rewards himself with a glass of vodka each night.
McCain has been hard at work on a memoir titled The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations. This week, NPR aired an audio excerpt of the book, in which the senator states frankly that he doesn’t “know how much longer I’ll be here.”
The book’s preview also reiterates his criticisms of President Trump. He questions the president’s convictions as a leader and condemns his rhetoric on refugees and journalists.
“I’m not sure what to make of President Trump’s convictions,” he wrote.
Recently, McCain has been hosting colleagues and friends at his home. The visits have not been explicit goodbyes, but they have been meetings of closure for the politicians and the people with whom he built his legacy.
McCain was diagnosed with brain cancer last July. He has been undergoing the taxing treatment, and has continued to fulfill his duties as a senator all the while.
McCain’s failing health is of grim political interest for those in Washington. If he passes away or resigns before the end of May, the Republican party could lose their single-seat majority in the Senate. In that case there would likely be a special election in the fall. On the other hand, if McCain remains in office until June, there will be no election for his seat until 2020.
