Timothy Stanley is a historian and columnist for Britain's Daily Telegraph. He is the author of "Citizen Hollywood: How the Collaboration Between LA and DC Revolutionized American Politics." The opinions expressed in this commentary are his. View more opinion articles on CNN.

(CNN) John McCain once took on Hillary Clinton in a drinking contest. It was at a restaurant in Estonia in 2004, during a congressional tour. Both politicians managed four shots of vodka; the rules were unclear, but Hillary -- McCain's one-time political rival -- was declared the winner, according to the restaurant proprietor (though in her own account, Clinton said they "agreed to withdraw in honorable fashion," rather than name a winner).

Timothy Stanley

That image sums up the humanity and character of the late Senator McCain, who will be mourned deeply on both sides of the political aisle. He embodied a more moderate brand of conservatism -- one that could separate politics and friendship -- that now feels distant and very much missed.

He should have been elected President in 2000, when he ran for the Republican nomination and lost, and if he had made it to the White House, America might have forged a new consensus around a smaller state and a cleaner politics.

Today the country is divided in ways that McCain despaired of. But it should be united in grief for a genuine American hero.

When McCain tried again for the presidency in 2008, this time winning the Republican nomination, the country found itself blessed with real choice. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, was intelligent and eloquent, the voice of young America. McCain represented the best that the previous generation had to offer.