The late Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who died earlier this week after a battle with brain cancer, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) have been “besties” since they met in the early 90’s. The duo has been frequently criticized for their hawkish views, and for their support left of center legislation, and for their desire to be liked by their colleagues in the Senate over the will of their constituents.

Sen. Lindsey Graham paid tribute to the late Sen. John McCain on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon, memorializing their storied friendship and McCain’s legacy.

“He taught me that honor and imperfection are always in competition,” Graham said. “I do not cry for a perfect man. I cry for a man who had honor and always was willing to admit to his imperfection.”

Graham recalled McCain’s 2008 concession speech as one of the most memorable moments of his long career.

“John taught us how to lose,” Graham said. “When you go throughout the world, people remember his concession speech as much as anything else. There are so many countries where you can’t afford to lose because they’ll kill you. And John said that night, ‘President Obama is now my president.’ So he healed the nation at a time he was hurt. I learned that serving a cause greater than yourself hurts.” –CBS News

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CNN’s Dana Bash, whose primary focus is to “bash” President Trump, used her interview with a grieving Senator Graham as an opportunity to exploit the strained relationship with the deceased Senator McCain and President Trump, by asking Lindsey Graham to criticize the President.

Bash started out her interview by telling Graham that she is asked more than anything else how Lindsey Graham can play golf with Donald Trump and even “carry the water” for Donald Trump, given his relationship with Senator McCain?  Senator Graham, to his credit, reminded the CNN host, Dana Bash, that even though initially, he wasn’t a fan of President Trump, that Trump has his full support, and that his hope is that he is a successful president. Graham also reminded Bash that he and John McCain even asked President Obama what they could do to help. Senator Graham then told something the liberal CNN host could never understand,  he told her he will always put his country first. Graham said he regretted the relationship between Trump and McCain, and that Trump’s criticism of McCain even “pissed me off”.

Graham then stunned Bash by telling her that after his speech on the Senate floor where he honored Senator McCain, he received a touching phone call from President Trump, telling him “That was very sad. I just want you to know that you did right by your friend.”

Bash appeared to be stunned, acting as though she misheard what Graham said, asking him to confirm, “The President called you?” Graham responded by saying, “Yes, he did, right out of the blue”, Graham continued, “And for those who want me to say that the only way you can honor John McCain, is to fight President Trump and try to kick him out of office, I don’t agree. I’m going to do what I think is best for the country, using what John taught me about the country.” Graham then discussed his hope that Trump would consider war-hawk John McCain’s suggestions about what to do in Syria.

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