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Watching the recent Supreme Court nomination process - so reminiscent of the sociopolitical processes of The Hunger Games - I realize how much I miss the presence of Sen. John McCain.
I didn't vote for him - as I thought he had lost his way for a while when he selected his 2008 presidential campaign running mate - but I do miss him.
I yearn for the United States of yesteryear, a nation that stood for fair play, equal opportunity, common sense and principle.
To me, Sen. McCain seemed to espouse all those basic strengths. He made some errors - who doesn't? - but at his core, he seemed to want to do the right thing.
Although anyone with a brain would recognize how flawed the Obamacare plan truly is - with the worst aspect being the dreadful definition of who actually should pay for it - Sen. McCain had the wisdom to understand that repealing it without a wellstructured replacement plan would be idiocy personified. Although struggling with his own medical issues, he dragged himself to the Beltway and memorably gave the repeal vote his historical thumbs down.
As a physician-administrator responsible for an entire population - not just the wealthy - I recognized the ethical, pragmatic and fiscal importance of that courageous act, which was so unpopular among the fat cats.
Our own 'House of Cards'
For a completely different set of reasons, I also miss Frank Underwood, a politician and eventually the U.S. president in the Netflix series "House of Cards."
Who can forget two of his great scripted lines: "What is the face of a coward? The back of his head as he runs from the battle," and, "The road to power is paved with hypocrisy and casualties. Never regret."
When the series began, it seemed to be almost a parody of the Beltway, wryly and darkly amusing, extreme but so close to the mark.
Just a few years...