John McCain was a straight-talking man of values, who embodied a pure bipartisanship of political eras long gone, writes Todd S. Purdum of The Atlantic. He generally stood strong for what he believed in, something highly rare in Washington D.C. nowadays. Awfully candid with journalists and always idealistic, McCain stood out from the crowd. From opposing Republicans’ Obamacare repeal effort to saying that Donald Trump “abased himself” in a press conference with Putin, he wasn’t afraid to go against his own party. It was this strong character that made him so respected from both sides of the aisle. McCain was a special man in U.S. politics.

John McCain’s veteran status, time as a POW and cushy relationship with the press have helped present him as a great statesman, when he really wasn’t, holds Paul Blest of Splinter News. His political career is littered with bad choices that made the U.S. worse off. These include legitimizing far-right identity politics by giving Sarah Palin prominence to staunchly supporting the war in Iraq. Lauded as a man of honor who stood up to Donald Trump, McCain was all talk, sticking with his policies in 83% of votes. He often did the bare minimum for which he is being celebrated far too enthusiastically by the media. McCain was not the hero as some portray.