Former US Vice President delivers eulogy at John McCain's memorial service

Former Vice President Biden delivered the eulogy at the memorial service for the late Senator McCain on August 30. Photo:CBS.

Former US Vice President Joe Biden on August 30 expressed his respect and remembrance for Republican Senator John McCain in his eulogy at his memorial service in Phoenix, Arizona.CNNreport

"My name is Joe Biden. I'm a Democrat and I love John McCain." The former US vice president began his eulogy by identifying himself as a Democrat, while Senator McCain was a Republican. His opening statement drew laughter from many at the memorial service.

Biden, a senator from Delaware since the 1970s, recalled sitting next to McCain in debates in the 1980s and 1990s, even though they were from opposite parties. "No, I'm not kidding," the former US vice president declared.

Biden revealed an anecdote when both he and Senator McCain were reprimanded in 1996 for this seating arrangement. "The Democratic leadership came to me and said, 'Joe, that's not right, you're sitting next to John all the time.' I swear to God, that happened to John too," Biden revealed, drawing laughter from the audience.

Biden talks about happy memories with McCain in the past. Photo:AFP.

"That's when things got ugly in America, in the Senate. That's when everything changed," Biden said.

After introducing himself and talking about his time in the Senate with McCain, the former US vice president had to wipe away tears several times before talking more deeply about his relationship with the late senator. "I always considered John a brother. We had a lot of 'family conflicts' from a long time ago," Biden affirmed.

He went on to mention brain cancer. Both McCain and the former vice president’s son Beau Biden died of the disease. Biden offered his condolences to McCain’s family and friends, in some of the most moving words of his speech.

"There are times when life is so cruel, the pain so great that we cannot see anything else. It is cruel and relentless, and it takes away the people we love. For the families who have suffered, to survive in this life, we must remember how they lived, not how they died," Biden declared.

He also spoke to Senator McCain’s 106-year-old mother, Roberta, who shared what it was like to attend her son’s funeral. “It was like being sucked into a black hole in my chest, it was terrifying,” he said. Biden’s first wife and 13-month-old daughter were killed in a car accident in 1972, before his son Beau died in 2015.

He spoke about his experience of enduring and overcoming pain, affirming that those close to McCain will gradually return to life.

"Six months go by and people will accept that it's in the past. But when you walk through a field or smell a familiar scent, you'll remember the image and the feeling of the first time you heard the news, but you know you'll get through it when you see the image of your husband, your father, your friend in your mind, and the smile will come to your face before the tears come. That's when you know it's coming, I promise you and I guarantee you that," Biden said.

The former US vice president changed his tone to a gentle, whispering tone at the beginning of his eulogy when talking about what made the late Senator McCain, saying it was not politics but the core values ​​inside.

"You may come to different conclusions, but when he separates from you, it's because you don't have basic values, respect and decency," Biden declared, asserting that McCain's story is America's story.

Biden wipes away tears while reading the eulogy. Photo:CBS News.

“He cannot tolerate abuse of power, anywhere,” he said, apparently referring to McCain’s opposition to torture. McCain had sought to end the “enhanced interrogation” practices used by the George W. Bush administration after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The late Senator McCain's statements about his political beliefs were also seen as a criticism of the current situation in the US Congress.

In the final paragraph of his eulogy, the former US vice president continued to use a gentle tone, saying that McCain's death affected many people and in a very powerful way because they knew he believed in the soul of America. "John was a hero. I think the least talked about thing about him was the optimism that made John a special giant among us," he said.

"McCain understood what I hope we all remember. This country was not built by heroes. Ordinary people given a chance can do extraordinary things. The bottom line is I think he has faith in us, all 325 million Americans," Biden affirmed.

The former US vice president said McCain's legacy will continue to influence future US leaders. "To paraphrase Shakespeare, we shall never see his like again," Biden said, holding back tears and ending his eulogy with a quote from Hamlet.

Senator John McCain passed away at his home in Arizona on the afternoon of August 25 at the age of 81. Before his death, he asked former presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama to deliver eulogies but did not want US President Donald Trump to attend his funeral.