Former President George W. Bush remembered Sen. John McCain as a moral leader whose “epic life” was a model of American values, he said Saturday at a service honoring McCain at Washington National Cathedral. Watch Bush’s full eulogy for Sen. John McCain in the player above. “The thing about John’s life was the amazing sweep of it, from a tiny prison cell in Vietnam to the floor of the United States Senate, from troublemaking plebe to presidential candidate. Wherever John passed throughout the world, people immediately knew there was a leader in their midst. In one epic life was written the courage and greatness of our country,” he said. Bush recalled that the two of them had sparred in the past, referring to “our hard fought political history.” “Back in the day, he could frustrate me,” Bush said, prompting some laughs from attendees and a smile from Cindy McCain. “And I know he’d say the same thing about me. But he also made me better.” In the years to come, they would talk of their disagreements “like football players remembering a big game. In the process, rivalry melted away,” he said. READ NEXT: A personal look at John McCain’s political impact Bush remembered McCain as “a man with a code. He lived by a set of public virtues that brought strength and purpose to his life and to his country. He was courageous, with a courage that frightened his captors and inspired his countrymen. He was honest no matter whom it offended.” His strong moral compass echoed around the world to dissidents and prisoners of oppressive governments who knew he was on their side, Bush said. “He loved freedom with the passion of a man who knew its absence. He respected the dignity inherent in every life, a dignity that does not stop at borders and cannot be erased by dictators.” It was a set of values that should serve as a reminder, he said: “If we’re ever tempted to forget who we are, to grow weary of our cause, John’s voice will always come as a whisper over our shoulder: ‘We’re better than this. America is better than this.’”<doc-sep>John McCain's memorial service at the National Cathedral on Saturday morning was a bipartisan affair, with politicians from both parties sharing aisles. At the front of the church were former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, and former First Ladies Hillary Clinton (also a former Secretary of State, Senator, and presidential candidate), Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama. While Joe Lieberman, one-time senator from Connecticut and running mate to Al Gore in 2000, delivered a eulogy, cameras caught George W. Bush handing something to Michelle Obama, while Barack Obama cracked a smile. That something was a mint, according to MSNBC, and it provided a moment of levity for a somber and, at times, soaring affair. At the inauguration of Donald Trump—who was not invited to McCain's funeral—George W. Bush offered the only bright moment when he wrestled with a rain parka. This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Later at McCain's service, Bush delivered a eulogy for McCain, who was his opponent in the 2000 Republican primary and eventually his political ally. As with many of the speeches, in which the speakers recalled humorous stories of Senator McCain, Bush began his eulogy with a story that evoked laughter among the audience. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io<doc-sep>Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. will brief the media on Tuesday, Aug. 28, at 10 a.m. EDT, in the Pentagon Briefing Room (2E973). DAILY SCHEDULE: Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. brief the media at 10 a.m. EDT in the Pentagon Briefing Room (2E973). Both U.S. and foreign journalists without a Pentagon building pass must be pre-registered in the new Pentagon Visitor Management System to attend this briefing; plan on being escorted from the River Entrance Pedestrian Bridge or the Pentagon Metro Entrance Facility only. Please arrive no later than 45 minutes before the briefing; have proof of affiliation and photo identification. Please call 703-697-5131 for any questions and escort into the building. The briefing will also be streamed live on www.defense.gov/live. Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis hosts an enhanced honor cordon welcoming Minister of Defense Ryamizard Ryacudu of Indonesia, to the Pentagon at 2:30 p.m. EDT on the steps of the River Entrance. All journalists desiring to cover the cordon must obtain a wristband from security screening. Journalists without a Pentagon facility access card must go through security screening at the base of the River Entrance Pedestrian Bridge, and will be escorted to the cordon from there. Security screening will begin at approximately 1:45 p.m. EDT; have proof of affiliation and two forms of photo identification. Journalists with a Pentagon facility access card, and whom have entered the building prior to 1:30 p.m. EDT, may go through security screening at the River Entrance to obtain their wristband. All journalists wishing to cover the honor cordon, including those with a Pentagon facility access card, must be in place no later than 2:15 p.m. EDT. Once security screening has been initiated at the base of the bridge, all journalists entering the building via the bridge for any reason, including those with a Pen Obama on McCain: We are all in his debt McCain will be buried next to his 'wingman' WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 1: Cindy McCain looks on as a joint military service casket team carries the casket of the late Senator John McCain following his funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral, September 1, 2018 in Washington, DC. Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush delivered eulogies for McCain in front of the 2,500 invited guests. McCain will be buried on Sunday at the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) For more on the late senator’s legacy, tune in to “John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls” Saturday at 9 p.m. ET/PT. (CNN) — Former President George W. Bush said whatever rivalry he had with Sen. John McCain “melted away” as they forged a friendship. “Back in the day, he could frustrate me. And I know he’d say the same thing about me. But he also made me better,” Bush said at a memorial service at Washington National Cathedral. Bush recalled how he and McCain spoke of that “intense period like football players remembering a big game.” “In the process, rivalry melted away,” Bush told the crowd of mourners gathered at the cathedral. “In the end, I got to enjoy one of life’s great gifts, the friendship of John McCain. And I’ll miss it.” Bush said that McCain was “honest, no matter whom it offended,” adding that “presidents were not spared.” “John was, above all, a man with a code. He lived by a set of public virtues that brought strength and purpose to his life and to his country,” Bush said. He recognized McCain’s disdain for the abuse of power and instinct to “stand up for the little guy.” “Those in political power were not exempt. At various points throughout his long career, John confronted policies and practices that he believed were unworthy of his country,” Bush said. “To the face of those in authority, John McCain would insist: We are better than this. America is better than this. “ Bush and former President Barack Obama, McCain’s former rival in the 2008 presidential race, were both asked to deliver eulogies for the Arizona Republican. McCain died at the age of 81 last Saturday shortly after ending treatment for glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. He was honored at a memorial service on Thursday held at the Arizona state Capitol. On Friday, the senator lay in state in the US Capitol, the 31st person to be given the honor. A private service will take place at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, on Sunday, and McCain will be laid to rest in the US Naval Academy Cemetery.<doc-sep>
Former President George W. Bush, John McCain's one-time bitter political rival, recalled the late senator Saturday as a man who loved freedom, detested the abuse of power and wasn't afraid to take on anyone, including presidents. "He was honest, no matter who it offended," Bush said in his eulogy at the National Cathedral. "Presidents were not spared. He was honorable, always recognizing that his opponents were patriots and human beings." McCain's personal invitation to Bush, and to former President Barack Obama, to speak at the memorial service, was as much a gesture toward bipartisanship as was his pointed refusal to invite President Donald Trump. "John was above all, a man with a code," he said. "He lived by a set of virtues." "He loved freedom with a passion of a man who knew its absence," he said. Read:George W. Bush's full eulogy to former political opponent John McCain Bush said that McCain always recognized that his opponents "were still patriots and human beings." Above all, the former president said, "he detested the abuse of power, he could not abide bigots, and swaggering despots." The invitation by McCain to Bush to deliver a eulogy was especially striking, given the animosity between the two men over the 2000 GOP primary. In that contest, McCain — riding the "Straight Talk Express" — had come out of nowhere to take the New Hampshire primary that year and faced a critical re-match with Bush in South Carolina. Bush won that bruising battle that was marked by scurrilous, racially tinged attacks on McCain. Among them, a whisper campaign that McCain had fathered a black child out of wedlock. McCain's dark-skinned daughter, Bridget, was adopted from Bangladesh, but the subrosa attacks may well have played a role in McCain's defeat in that southern bastion. During a heated break at one South Carolina debate, Bush apparently tried to mollify McCain by saying he knew nothing about the origin of the rumors, at one point grasping McCain's hands. To which McCain barked, according to Time magazine, "Don't give me that s---t. And take your hands off me." Bush recalled the one-time strain between the two political warhorses during that period, saying that "for John and me, there was a personal journey, our hard-fought political history." "Back in the day, he could frustrate me, and I know he'd say the same thing about me," Bush said to laughter from the congregation. "But he also made me better." Eventually, he said, their bitter rivalry "melted away." "I got to enjoy one of life's great gifts," Bush said. "The friendship of John McCain, and I'll miss him." Bush said McCain was a passionate defender of fairness and justice, who would take on presidents and admirals to "stand up for the little guy." “John’s voice will always come as a whisper over our shoulder – we are better than this, America is better than this,” Bush said, adding: "We will remember him as he was: unwavering, undimmed, unequaled."