Metal barriers barricade 1st St NE/SE, the road directly east of the U.S. Capitol. Still almost an hour before the doors open to the public, the lines have already formed, snaking along the road between the Capitol Building and the Supreme Court and Library of Congress. The sun beats down, with only brief reprieves caused by the occasional cloud passing overhead.

Various types of people wait in line. A strong representation from military personnel. Vietnam War Veteran hats and shirts are prevalent. A few people are carrying signs. Undoubtedly, many of the attendees are D.C. beltway types and politicos, but a lot of people have traveled for the occasion. Most people have umbrellas for shade. There are also families with young children, some are young enough to be pushed around in strollers. They may not remember much from this day, but they are about to witness an honor bestowed only 30 times before.

There are many who are far more qualified to chronicle their memories of Senator John McCain. But as I wait the almost 2 hours to enter the Capitol rotunda, my mind reflects on my own reason for being here.

The 2008 election marked the first opportunity for me to vote in an election. Having only turned 18 in August of that year, I didn’t have the ability to vote in the primary election for my home state of California, which was held in February. So the first time I cast a ballot was in the November general election – in a presidential election! With my absentee ballot, (I was away at school in November and so had registered to vote absentee to vote locally in my home district) I marked a ballot for the first time for the Republican nominee and his running mate, John McCain and Sarah Palin. Truth be told, my support for McCain was buoyed by his selection of Sarah Palin as a running mate. Had I voted in the primary, I’m not certain that I would have ended up voting for McCain to be the nominee. As memory serves, the candidate quiz I took my senior year for Mr. Blasser’s government class suggested my preferences were most aligned with Governor Mitt Romney. The runner up in that exercise was Governor Mike Huckabee of Arkansas with Senator McCain as a close third. (It’s worth noting that one of the questions pertained to experience and I answered that having experience as a governor was a desirable trait, so if you played with the weighting of my responses, McCain could have come out ahead). But all that aside, when it came time to cast ballots in November, McCain was deserving of my vote. He was the right choice for the country.

Barack Obama’s election to serve as the first African-American President of the United States was an important, positive step for the country. And suggesting that John McCain was the better choice in that election should not take away from the historic outcome of the 2008 election. But elections have consequences. And to me, it seems that the country went in the wrong direction under the Obama Administration. Admittedly, it is not solely the fault of President Obama and his team. It is impossible to say for certain how the country would differ had the electorate gone with McCain in 2008, there are far too many variables for that, but I have to believe that the hyper-partisanship we now live with would not be as severe. John McCain was a Republican, but he was not a partisan. The reflections of many during his service, including that of former Vice President Joe Biden, reflected on his ability to reach across the aisle. His demeanor during his concession speech following the 2008 election is a testament to his character and the type of politician he was. If John McCain had been elected President of the United States in 2008, we would still see partisan politics practiced, but it’s safe to say that John McCain would have fought it to the best of his ability, and doing so from the position as chief executive would have gone a long way to mitigate the prevalence of partisanship.

I have had my share of disagreements with Senator McCain since public policy became my area of study and line of work. Chief among them, his decision to vote against Republicans’s effort to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act in the spring of 2017. But his lifetime of service to this country is undeniable. And even though I may have disagreed with him on issues, the stance he took was a stance he believed to be right for the good of the country. In the end, reasonable people CAN disagree! Senator John McCain embodied this notion and served in Congress with a can do attitude. There’s a reason he has seen such an outpouring of support, regardless of partisan affiliation, since his passing.

I write this in part as a memory for myself. Out of respect, those paying their respects were asked to refrain from taking photographs in the rotunda.

So my photo archive of the experience is limited, but the thoughts running through my mind remain. I hope that those who read this short blurb will be inspired to do their own reflection on the life and service of Senator John McCain. I am honored to have voted for him as President in the 2008 election and thankful for his years of service in the military and in public office.

N.B. Please excuse any typos or other errors. This was largely written while I stood in line outside the Capitol and did not get much in the way of proofreading.