This is McCain in a nutshell.
On one hand, that was a more-than-solid speech. He criticized the Democrats on process grounds
just enough, proceeded to paint this stark picture of "liberal bastions" disconnected from the needs of soldiers, injected just enough nuance with the disclaimer that his criticism of repeal wasn't about social issues but rather practical demands stemming from being in a time of war, and delivered all this with eloquence and pathos and authority.
On the other, he was 100% wrong, and it could be seen even back then: the speech amounted to fearmongering, to ridiculous worst case scenario thinking, and leaned into the same tired rationalizations that had been used to sustain an unjust status quo in the past.
But again, it had a purposefulness that rooted it in something bigger than pure pettiness and tribalism, which at least implied a position amendable to evolution. For example, here:
McCain has not traditionally been a standard-bearer for better integration of women and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in the military.
Six years ago, McCain led the Senate opposition to a repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy preventing gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, a provision that was tucked into that year's defense policy bill. He never reacted warmly to President Obama's plans to open all combat roles to women, and he has been similarly circumspect about plans to allow transgender troops to serve openly.
But over the same period, McCain also stepped forward as one of the few Republicans willing to vote for legislation preventing employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, and he spoke out against a bill in Arizona to allow businesses citing religious beliefs to deny service to gays and lesbians.
...and here:
Last year, the Obama administration moved to allow transgender troops to serve openly and to begin accepting new recruits and officers. Trump called for a ban on their service, but advocates have generally prevailed in federal court, including a recent decision that will force the Pentagon to begin recruiting them Jan. 1. The Pentagon intends to forward a new policy on transgender troop to Trump in late February.
In August, McCain gave the Pentagon cover to move deliberately.
"It would be a step in the wrong direction to force currently serving transgender individuals to leave the military solely on the basis of their gender identity rather than medical and readiness standards that should always be at the heart of Department of Defense personnel policy," McCain said in a statement.
That, to me, is McCain. He was a Republican who evolved for the better and for the worse in less-than-predictable fashion over the course of his career. Someone who had genuine ideals informing their framework for maneuvering around our politics, and at once someone who never even came close to living up to those ideals but still somehow managed to point to a better path. He inspired and fascinated me, but disappointed and frustrated me in at least equal measure. And that is a combination of emotions I expect to feel far less as I observe American politics from now on.
