I toil in the shadow of giants, often plowing a barren furrow while my betters reap the harvest of carefully cultivated journalistic excellence.

Among them is the gifted and discerning columnist Laurie Roberts, who says that Gov. Doug Ducey should appoint Rep. Martha McSally to fill Sen. John McCain’s seat in January, when the placeholding Sen. Jon Kyl is expected to step down.

McSally is available for the appointment, having recently lost the U.S. Senate race to Rep. Kyrsten Sinema.

Roberts wrote, “More than one million Arizona voters wanted to see the former fighter-pilot-turned-southern-Arizona congresswoman in the Senate. Gov. Doug Ducey could grant them their wish.” She added, “McSally, if appointed, would be likely to fairly represent what continues to be a red state.”

Logical, well-stated argument, still ...

To this suggestion I would say to my (genuinely) esteemed colleague:

No freakin’ way.

McSally has fully and completely embraced President Donald Trump, not just during the campaign, but by voting with him 97 percent of the time. Essentially, Ducey would be appointing a Sen. McTrump.

And even if that were acceptable, which it shouldn’t be, there is that thing McSally did NOT do after Trump signed the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019.

The president, when he signed the bill, did not mention McCain’s name.

A petty snub.

Snubbing McCain to pander to Trump

He mentioned McSally, but not McCain, even though the senator’s name was on the bill.

Even worse, when McSally was asked about the bill, she did not mention the then-ailing senator’s name either. She is a member of Congress from Arizona, which McCain served for more than 30 years, and she didn’t mention his name, apparently not wanting to irritate Trump, whose disdain for the senator never wavered.

It may seem like a little thing – not speaking a man’s name – but it said a lot about character.

Meghan McCain got it right

McCain’s daughter Meghan tweeted that McSally’s “inability to even mention my father's name when discussing the bill named in his honor is disgraceful (just as it was with Trump) – I had such higher hopes for the next generation of leadership in my home state.”

She was right.

After the bill signing McSally said in a TV interview, “We’re finally turning it around thanks to president Trump’s leadership it’s been an honor to partner with him …”

Thanks to Trump? The defense authorization act was a bipartisan effort, something McCain insisted upon and was proud of having guided, many times, through the legislative process.

In a written statement after the bill was signed McCain said, “I'm humbled that my colleagues in Congress chose to designate this bill in my name, Serving as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and working on behalf of America's brave service members has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I'm proud that throughout my tenure, the committee has led with a spirit of comity and cooperation to provide for America's Armed Forces."

No need for a presidential mimic

We are accustomed to Trump's venal behavior. We don’t expect anything else.

But McSally chose to mimic the president rather than mention McCain, who gave so much of his life to the country. For that she got the vote of Trump supporters – who often and loudly expressed their contempt for McCain – but that does not mean she should inherit McCain’s seat.

She could make a run at that seat in two years, when it comes up for election, but it should not be given to her.

McSally had to choose between self-interest and principle, between potentially irritating Trump – whose voters she coveted – or insulting McCain. She chose Trump.

That will never stop being a shame.

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

MORE BY MONTINI: