as an example, senator mccain's uncommon friendship with morse udall comes to mind. congressman udall was a liberal icon, yet he reached out to a young republican as a friend and mentor. they developed a close friendship that lasted until his death from parkinson's disease. he had once been among the most powerful leaders in washington, but almost none of his former colleagues came calling when he as he was leading ill at a veterans hospital not far from the capital, but it was senator mccain who visited quite often. senator, you would arrive with newspaper clips, and you would sit at your friend's bedside and ,. just as he reached out to you in the beginning, you reached out to him in the end with empathy and with true compassion. hearing this story, it is so clear the unique and unusual man we are speaking about and what a dear friend he was. we must also see a man with a desire to embrace people's humanity, regardless of their politics. this is no small feat in the today's vitriolic halls in our country. senator mccain is a man of strong conviction, yes, but he al