Several of my friends whose views are aligned with the fanatical right were conspicuously silent in regards to McCain's passing; although one posted a few veiled barbs about loyalty and another defended the White House's recent flag fiasco. I expected this as McCain stood against the current administration on several major pieces of legislation and received a great deal of political blowback as a result. However, I was surprised to find a couple friends whose views align with the fanatical left also displaying irreverence for the man and his passing--from inappropriate cartoons that belittled those showing respect for McCain, to memes that mocked his passing, to trolling on other people's posts that showed support for some of McCain's actions.
Although I did not agree with all of McCain's beliefs or policies, I do recognize that he represented a bridging of political ideas and an example of civil discourse in a harsh political climate. I recently watched a Deep Space Nine episode where Worf is asked to consider why he would continue to back government officials who are so dishonorable. I thought about our current Congress and administration in light of this, and I realized that life is not as diametric as fiction (or current politics) would have us believe. There are good women and men who are trying to serve our country to the best of their ability. McCain was one of them.