Not Everyone Has Well Wishes for John McCain

After John McCain's brain tumor was revealed, well wishes poured in. Politics aside, "you have to respect the life of this man," who "fought so you would not be forced into philosophical slavery and compliance," wrote Christine Flowers in one example at the Philadelphia Daily News, offering what she called a "prayer" for the "war hero." One who doesn't agree with that title: San Diego State University professor Jonathan Graubart. In a since-deleted Facebook post, Graubart wrote Friday that he was "annoyed at the groundswell of good wishes" for McCain because he "is a war criminal" who "has championed horrifying actions and been lousy on state commitment to public health," reports LawNewz.

SDSU responded by noting it "cannot regulate the private speech of students, faculty or staff," even while students told KGTV they were "disturbed" by Graubart's comments. Yet Graubart isn't the only one appearing less than sympathetic to McCain: "Amen," Diana Orrock, the Republican national committeewoman for Nevada, wrote on Twitter, sharing a Medium post cheering his speedy death, reports CNN, though she later said she didn't actually want McCain to die. At the National Review, Elliot Kaufman offers his take: McCain is "a hate figure for the Left and the once-fringe Right" and as with any hero seen as a threat, he must be "robbed of his greater symbolism and meaning, which holds the key to his claim to power." (More John McCain stories.)