Rep. Pascrell On McCain: 'We Have Lost A True American Patriot'

NORTH JERSEY, NJ — Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (NJ-9th) honored longtime Republican Senator John McCain Saturday, calling him "a true American patriot."

"With great courage, John McCain protected the institution of the Senate at a time when our institutions are under duress," Pascrell said. "I was honored to work closely with Senator McCain to pass legislation to aid our firefighters. I saw up close that here was a special man. Senator McCain served his country for virtually his entire life, right until the end. God bless you, Senator McCain. And thank you.”

McCain died Saturday at his home in Arizona. He was 81. He was diagnosed last year with an aggressive form of brain cancer that had kept him away from the Senate since mid-December, died just one day after his family announced he would end his treatment. He would have turned 82 on Aug. 29.

His death comes months after the release of of his new book, "The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations." Written from the perspective of a dying man free to speak his mind and vote his conscious without fear of voter backlash, the book offers a candid assessment of the current state of politics.

A stage 4 cancer diagnosis "acts as ungentle persuasion," he wrote.

"I don't think I'm free to disregard my constituents' wishes, far from it," he wrote. "I don't feel excused from keeping pledges I made. Nor do I wish to harm my party's prospects. But I do feel a pressing responsibility to give Americans my best judgment."

With reporting by Beth Dalbey and Colin Miner, Patch staff

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com

File photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images