McCain Dies At 81 After Battle With ‘One Of The Most Complex, Drug-Resistant, And Adaptive Cancers There Is’
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) died Saturday, a little over a year after he'd been diagnosed with glioblastoma, a wildly aggressive form of brain cancer. Advocates have been frustrated for years about the lack of research about and progress being made against the disease. Meanwhile, though health care policy was not a primary focus for McCain, he's remembered for casting the vote that saved the health law he hated.
The New York Times:
John McCain, War Hero, Senator, Presidential Contender, Dies At 81
John S. McCain, the proud naval aviator who climbed from depths of despair as a prisoner of war in Vietnam to pinnacles of power as a Republican congressman and senator from Arizona and a two-time contender for the presidency, died on Saturday at his home in Arizona. He was 81. According to a statement from his office, Mr. McCain died at 4:28 p.m. local time. He had suffered from a malignant brain tumor, called a glioblastoma, for which he had been treated periodically with radiation and chemotherapy since its discovery in 2017. (McFadden, 8/25)
The Associated Press:
For McCain, A Life Of Courage, Politics Came Down To 1 Vote
For John McCain, a lifetime of courage, contradictions and contrarianism came down to one vote, in the middle of the night, in the twilight of his career. The fate of President Donald Trump's long effort to repeal Barack Obama's health care law hung in the balance as a Senate roll call dragged on past 1 a.m. on a July night in 2017. (Benac, 8/27)
Politico:
McCain Remembered For Bipartisanship, Decisive Obamacare Vote
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also voted against undoing the health care law, said on CNN that McCain “felt very strongly about virtually every issue that he tackled, but it was never based in partisanship.” Collins recalled the huddle among the three Republicans before McCain cast his vote. “Lisa and I crossed the Senate floor to where John was sitting, and we knew that he was struggling with the issue,” she said. “We sat down and started talking with him, and all of a sudden he pointed to the two of us and said, ‘You two are right.’ And that’s when I knew that he was going to vote no.” (Warmbrodt, 8/26)
Kaiser Health News:
McCain’s Complicated Health Care Legacy: He Hated The ACA. He Also Saved It.
There are many lawmakers who made their names in health care, seeking to usher through historic changes to a broken system.John McCain was not one of them. And yet, the six-term senator from Arizona and decorated military veteran leaves behind his own health care legacy, seemingly driven less by his interest in health care policy than his disdain for bullies trampling the “little guy.” (Huetteman, 8/25)
The New York Times:
Veteran, Maverick, Candidate: Key Moments Of John McCain’s Public Life
Mr. McCain was frequently referred to as a “maverick,” an image he cultivated to advance his political goals, including two failed presidential runs. After those defeats, he became known as a conservative lion of the Senate, who — despite his famous temper — believed that partisan disputes and civility could coexist in Washington. (Stack, 8/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
Sen. John McCain Remembered As Principled Leader
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whose effort to repeal President Obama’s signature health-care legislature failed because Mr. McCain withdrew support in a striking, late-night vote, said: “In an era filled with cynicism about national unity and public service, John McCain’s life shone as a bright example. He showed us that boundless patriotism and self-sacrifice are not outdated concepts or clichés, but the building blocks of an extraordinary American life.” (Corse, 8/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
Arizona Governor Faces Intense Pressure In Picking McCain Successor
Sen. John McCain’s death touches off a number of questions about who will succeed him, putting the spotlight on Arizona’s Republican governor, Doug Ducey, who will choose a replacement. A spokesman for Gov. Ducey said Sunday any appointment won’t be announced until after Mr. McCain has been laid to rest. “Now is a time for remembering and honoring a consequential life well lived,” the spokesman said. (Hughes, 8/26)
Stat:
John McCain Has Died. For Cancers Like His, 'Research Is Our Only Hope'
About 14,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most common form of adult brain cancer, every year. It will kill all but 15 percent within five years. Barely half live 18 months. Of two dozen experimental drugs tested in clinical trials for newly diagnosed glioblastoma in the last decade, zero improved survival. The last drug to do so, by an average of about two months, was temozolomide, approved in 2005. The newest experimental treatment, based on electromagnetic waves, bought patients an average of five more months. (Begley, 8/25)
