(CNN) "It's time to wake up."

That's Sen. John McCain's warning to the country -- and his party -- about the dangers of submitting to the rising tide of populism, isolationism and nationalism being sold by President Donald Trump.

The Arizona Republican's speech -- delivered at his alma mater US Naval Academy on Monday -- was the second time this month he has delivered a broad-spectrum critique of Trump and Trumpism. And the two speeches taken together are rightly understood as McCain's attempt -- while facing down a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer -- to serve as a clarion call for a GOP he believes has wrongly and dangerously fallen under the Trump trance. (Worth noting: McCain never uses Trump's name in this speech. But the 45th President is like a black cloud looming over the proceedings. )

Down that path lies real peril for the party and the country, McCain believes, and he appears to be committed to doing everything in his power in the time he has left to sound the alarm.

(Although, side note: There is roughly zero chance this speech is not directed at Trumpism, but if McCain really wants people to wake up, why doesn't he plainly say that?)

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