through vietnam and all the way to his favorite battles on the floor of the united states senate. in 2008, he electified indianapolis, proclaiming we re americans and we never give up. we never quit. we never hide from history. we make history. those weren t the empty words of some politician grabbing the microphone and the spotlight for a few fleeting moments. men had followed john mccain into battle and we knew we could do the same. this man was trusted and he was tested, qualities in increasingly short supply. we sometimes think politics is life and death, but john mccain knew better because he had actually seen death and dying