Friday, July 28, 2017

John McCain's maverick moment

Story highlights

  • McCain cast the decisive vote to scuttle the GOP health care bill
  • He returned to Washington Tuesday after surgery for a brain tumor
Washington (CNN)Shortly before Sen. John McCain entered the Senate chamber in the wee hours of Friday morning, reporters wanted to know how he'd vote.
He instructed them to "watch the show."
McCain killed his party's narrowly-crafted Obamacare repeal bill Friday not because he was opposed to dismantling the Affordable Care Act, but because he fundamentally believed the process -- the lack of hearings, the one-party, closed-door negotiations, the fact that in the end all that Republican senators could agree upon was a shell of the plan they'd promised -- was flawed.
It was a result that may have been hinted at earlier in the week.
GOP Obamacare repeal bill fails in dramatic late-night vote
GOP Obamacare repeal bill fails in dramatic late-night vote
Less than two weeks after surgery to remove a blood clot revealed McCain had brain cancer, the Arizona Republican -- still with a visible scar above his eye -- traveled 2,000 miles from Phoenix and returned to a hero's welcome Tuesday in the Senate, where he delivered an epic 15-minute speech that rattled the conscience of the body.
Cryptic calls, lip-reading and a thumbs-down: Behind McCain's dramatic vote
"We're getting nothing done, my friends," McCain told his colleagues. "We're getting nothing done."
It was a fiery and intense lecture on the shortcomings of bypassing "regular order" and turning your back on compromise. But moments earlier, McCain had delivered a decisive vote to advance a health care bill that was still an uncertain product at that point, a kind of blessing for the type of secretive negotiations he'd just decried.
McCain laughs during an interview on March 1, 2000, with late-night host Jay Leno.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain laughs during an interview on March 1, 2000, with late-night host Jay Leno.
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McCain reaches out to supporters on March 4, 2000, at a campaign rally in Portland, Maine.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain reaches out to supporters on March 4, 2000, at a campaign rally in Portland, Maine.
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McCain addresses a shadow convention at the Annenberg Center of the University of Pennsylvania. McCain was booed when he asked supporters to back his primary opponent, George W. Bush, for president. The shadow convention was put on near the site of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia to highlight issues that organizers said the major parties had ignored.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain addresses a shadow convention at the Annenberg Center of the University of Pennsylvania. McCain was booed when he asked supporters to back his primary opponent, George W. Bush, for president. The shadow convention was put on near the site of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia to highlight issues that organizers said the major parties had ignored.
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Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, pose with hosts John and Cindy McCain on August 13, 2000, at Arizona's Red Rock Crossing as Cathedral Rock looms in the background.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, pose with hosts John and Cindy McCain on August 13, 2000, at Arizona's Red Rock Crossing as Cathedral Rock looms in the background.
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McCain plays Frank McCourt, with Jimmy Fallon as Patrick Fitzwilliam and Seth Meyers as William Fitzpatrick, in a 2002 "Top O' The Morning" skit on "Saturday Night Live."
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain plays Frank McCourt, with Jimmy Fallon as Patrick Fitzwilliam and Seth Meyers as William Fitzpatrick, in a 2002 "Top O' The Morning" skit on "Saturday Night Live."
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McCain talks with Marines at Camp Falluja in Iraq during a stop with fellow senators Hillary Clinton, Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham and Russ Feingold.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain talks with Marines at Camp Falluja in Iraq during a stop with fellow senators Hillary Clinton, Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham and Russ Feingold.
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Clinton and McCain listen to President George W. Bush speak during the National Prayer Breakfast in 2007 in Washington.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
Clinton and McCain listen to President George W. Bush speak during the National Prayer Breakfast in 2007 in Washington.
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McCain, again running for president, speaks during a campaign rally on February 5, 2008, at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. McCain faced off with Mitt Romney on the biggest Super Tuesday in American history.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain, again running for president, speaks during a campaign rally on February 5, 2008, at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. McCain faced off with Mitt Romney on the biggest Super Tuesday in American history.
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McCain, left, is introduced by retired Rear Adm. Tom Lynch before delivering a speech on April 2, 2008, at the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, during his "Service to America" tour.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain, left, is introduced by retired Rear Adm. Tom Lynch before delivering a speech on April 2, 2008, at the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, during his "Service to America" tour.
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McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, wave to the crowed after his acceptance speech on September 4, 2008, at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, wave to the crowed after his acceptance speech on September 4, 2008, at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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McCain and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama shake hands on September 26, 2008, at the start of the first of three presidential debates. Both candidates arrived at the Gertrude Castellow Ford Center at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, after taking part in negotiations in Washington to solve the financial crisis.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama shake hands on September 26, 2008, at the start of the first of three presidential debates. Both candidates arrived at the Gertrude Castellow Ford Center at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, after taking part in negotiations in Washington to solve the financial crisis.
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McCain and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell speak about health care reform on December 18, 2009, on Capitol Hill. They vowed that their GOP colleagues would do everything possible to delay passage of any health care legislation, including reading lengthy bills from the floor.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell speak about health care reform on December 18, 2009, on Capitol Hill. They vowed that their GOP colleagues would do everything possible to delay passage of any health care legislation, including reading lengthy bills from the floor.
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McCain gestures as he walks to the lectern on August 29, 2012, during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain gestures as he walks to the lectern on August 29, 2012, during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.
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McCain pauses while giving a speech on April 8, 2017, at a ceremony in Andraz nad Polzelo, Slovenia, to honor a US fighter plane that was downed there during World War II.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain pauses while giving a speech on April 8, 2017, at a ceremony in Andraz nad Polzelo, Slovenia, to honor a US fighter plane that was downed there during World War II.
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McCain listens as former FBI Director James Comey testifies on June 8, 2017, before the Senate Intelligence Committee about his encounters with President Donald Trump and his role in investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain listens as former FBI Director James Comey testifies on June 8, 2017, before the Senate Intelligence Committee about his encounters with President Donald Trump and his role in investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.
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McCain, left, and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, head to the Senate chamber on July 13, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington, for a meeting on the revised Republican health care bill. The measure had been under attack from within the party.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain, left, and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, head to the Senate chamber on July 13, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington, for a meeting on the revised Republican health care bill. The measure had been under attack from within the party.
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McCain leaves the Senate chamber after voting on the GOP '"skinny repeal" health care bill on July 28, 2017. Three Senate Republicans, including McCain, voted no to a stripped-down version of Obamacare reform.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain leaves the Senate chamber after voting on the GOP '"skinny repeal" health care bill on July 28, 2017. Three Senate Republicans, including McCain, voted no to a stripped-down version of Obamacare reform.
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Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, listens during the confirmation hearing on July 11, 2017, for Navy secretary nominee Richard Spencer on Capitol Hill.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, listens during the confirmation hearing on July 11, 2017, for Navy secretary nominee Richard Spencer on Capitol Hill.
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John S. McCain III, right, sits on a sofa with his sister, Sandy, in a reproduction of a family photo taken about 1938.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
John S. McCain III, right, sits on a sofa with his sister, Sandy, in a reproduction of a family photo taken about 1938.
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McCain sits with his grandfather, Vice Admiral John S. McCain Sr., and his father, Cmdr. John S. McCain Jr., in a family photo taken in the 1940s.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain sits with his grandfather, Vice Admiral John S. McCain Sr., and his father, Cmdr. John S. McCain Jr., in a family photo taken in the 1940s.
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Lt. Cmdr. John McCain poses with his Navy squadron in 1965.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
Lt. Cmdr. John McCain poses with his Navy squadron in 1965.
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The North Vietnamese, in 1967, claimed to have shot down and captured McCain, shown in this file photo. The son of McCain Jr., then commander of American Naval Forces in Europe, the younger McCain was said to have been aboard a two-man F-4 Phantom fighter that was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Hanoi.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
The North Vietnamese, in 1967, claimed to have shot down and captured McCain, shown in this file photo. The son of McCain Jr., then commander of American Naval Forces in Europe, the younger McCain was said to have been aboard a two-man F-4 Phantom fighter that was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Hanoi.
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McCain Is pulled out of a Hanoi lake by North Vietnamese army soldiers and civilians on October 26, 1967. McCain broke both arms and his right knee upon ejection and lost consciousness until he hit the water. Upon capture, McCain was beaten, he has said. He was held for five years by the North Vietnamese and tortured.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain Is pulled out of a Hanoi lake by North Vietnamese army soldiers and civilians on October 26, 1967. McCain broke both arms and his right knee upon ejection and lost consciousness until he hit the water. Upon capture, McCain was beaten, he has said. He was held for five years by the North Vietnamese and tortured.
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A Vietnamese doctor examines McCain in 1967. For his service and captivity, he earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross Medal and Prisoner of War Medal.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
A Vietnamese doctor examines McCain in 1967. For his service and captivity, he earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross Medal and Prisoner of War Medal.
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McCain visits the Holt orphanage in Saigon, Vietnam, on October 30, 1974, as a guest of the South Vietnamese government. The institution cares for many youngsters fathered by American GIs.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain visits the Holt orphanage in Saigon, Vietnam, on October 30, 1974, as a guest of the South Vietnamese government. The institution cares for many youngsters fathered by American GIs.
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McCain, center, and his wife, Cindy, pose with Republican Rep. John Rhodes of Arizona in Phoenix. McCain was elected to the House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982, the year after he retired from the Navy.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain, center, and his wife, Cindy, pose with Republican Rep. John Rhodes of Arizona in Phoenix. McCain was elected to the House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982, the year after he retired from the Navy.
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Vice President George H.W. Bush re-enacts a Senate swearing-in with McCain and his family.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
Vice President George H.W. Bush re-enacts a Senate swearing-in with McCain and his family.
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Sen. John McCain, Sen. John Kerry, President George H.W. Bush, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Colin Powell, Gen. John Vessey and others attend a news conference about soldiers missing in action during the Vietnam War.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
Sen. John McCain, Sen. John Kerry, President George H.W. Bush, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Colin Powell, Gen. John Vessey and others attend a news conference about soldiers missing in action during the Vietnam War.
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McCain talks with people during the filming of the CBS Reports Special, "Honor, Duty and a War Called Vietnam," in 1985 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain talks with people during the filming of the CBS Reports Special, "Honor, Duty and a War Called Vietnam," in 1985 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
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McCain, bottom, attends a hearing on November 20, 1990, before the Senate Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. The session centered around his campaign contributor, Charles Keating Jr., who was convicted of swindling investors. McCain was among senators connected to the banker who became known as the Keating Five. Also at the hearing are McCain aide Gwendolyn van Paasschen and her attorney, Plato Cacheris, right.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain, bottom, attends a hearing on November 20, 1990, before the Senate Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. The session centered around his campaign contributor, Charles Keating Jr., who was convicted of swindling investors. McCain was among senators connected to the banker who became known as the Keating Five. Also at the hearing are McCain aide Gwendolyn van Paasschen and her attorney, Plato Cacheris, right.
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McCain gets a kiss from his wife, Cindy, as they kick off his 2000 presidential campaign in Greenville, South Carolina.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain gets a kiss from his wife, Cindy, as they kick off his 2000 presidential campaign in Greenville, South Carolina.
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McCain visits on October 14, 1999, with his wife, Cindy, and their children at home in Phoenix. Their daughters are Meghan, right, and Bridget, with sons Jack and Jimmy.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain visits on October 14, 1999, with his wife, Cindy, and their children at home in Phoenix. Their daughters are Meghan, right, and Bridget, with sons Jack and Jimmy.
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McCain rests in his motel room on November 4, 1999, during the primary campaign in New Hampshire.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain rests in his motel room on November 4, 1999, during the primary campaign in New Hampshire.
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McCain, third from left, with his wife, Cindy, and their children on February 1, 2000, in New Hampshire. They are, from left, Andy, Jimmy, Jack, Bridget, Meghan, Doug and Sidney.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain, third from left, with his wife, Cindy, and their children on February 1, 2000, in New Hampshire. They are, from left, Andy, Jimmy, Jack, Bridget, Meghan, Doug and Sidney.
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McCain laughs during an interview on March 1, 2000, with late-night host Jay Leno.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain laughs during an interview on March 1, 2000, with late-night host Jay Leno.
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McCain reaches out to supporters on March 4, 2000, at a campaign rally in Portland, Maine.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain reaches out to supporters on March 4, 2000, at a campaign rally in Portland, Maine.
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McCain addresses a shadow convention at the Annenberg Center of the University of Pennsylvania. McCain was booed when he asked supporters to back his primary opponent, George W. Bush, for president. The shadow convention was put on near the site of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia to highlight issues that organizers said the major parties had ignored.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain addresses a shadow convention at the Annenberg Center of the University of Pennsylvania. McCain was booed when he asked supporters to back his primary opponent, George W. Bush, for president. The shadow convention was put on near the site of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia to highlight issues that organizers said the major parties had ignored.
Hide Caption
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Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, pose with hosts John and Cindy McCain on August 13, 2000, at Arizona's Red Rock Crossing as Cathedral Rock looms in the background.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, pose with hosts John and Cindy McCain on August 13, 2000, at Arizona's Red Rock Crossing as Cathedral Rock looms in the background.
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McCain plays Frank McCourt, with Jimmy Fallon as Patrick Fitzwilliam and Seth Meyers as William Fitzpatrick, in a 2002 "Top O' The Morning" skit on "Saturday Night Live."
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain plays Frank McCourt, with Jimmy Fallon as Patrick Fitzwilliam and Seth Meyers as William Fitzpatrick, in a 2002 "Top O' The Morning" skit on "Saturday Night Live."
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McCain talks with Marines at Camp Falluja in Iraq during a stop with fellow senators Hillary Clinton, Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham and Russ Feingold.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain talks with Marines at Camp Falluja in Iraq during a stop with fellow senators Hillary Clinton, Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham and Russ Feingold.
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Clinton and McCain listen to President George W. Bush speak during the National Prayer Breakfast in 2007 in Washington.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
Clinton and McCain listen to President George W. Bush speak during the National Prayer Breakfast in 2007 in Washington.
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McCain, again running for president, speaks during a campaign rally on February 5, 2008, at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. McCain faced off with Mitt Romney on the biggest Super Tuesday in American history.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain, again running for president, speaks during a campaign rally on February 5, 2008, at Rockefeller Plaza in New York. McCain faced off with Mitt Romney on the biggest Super Tuesday in American history.
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McCain, left, is introduced by retired Rear Adm. Tom Lynch before delivering a speech on April 2, 2008, at the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, during his "Service to America" tour.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain, left, is introduced by retired Rear Adm. Tom Lynch before delivering a speech on April 2, 2008, at the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, during his "Service to America" tour.
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McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, wave to the crowed after his acceptance speech on September 4, 2008, at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain and his running mate, Sarah Palin, wave to the crowed after his acceptance speech on September 4, 2008, at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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McCain and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama shake hands on September 26, 2008, at the start of the first of three presidential debates. Both candidates arrived at the Gertrude Castellow Ford Center at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, after taking part in negotiations in Washington to solve the financial crisis.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain and Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama shake hands on September 26, 2008, at the start of the first of three presidential debates. Both candidates arrived at the Gertrude Castellow Ford Center at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, after taking part in negotiations in Washington to solve the financial crisis.
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McCain and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell speak about health care reform on December 18, 2009, on Capitol Hill. They vowed that their GOP colleagues would do everything possible to delay passage of any health care legislation, including reading lengthy bills from the floor.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell speak about health care reform on December 18, 2009, on Capitol Hill. They vowed that their GOP colleagues would do everything possible to delay passage of any health care legislation, including reading lengthy bills from the floor.
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McCain gestures as he walks to the lectern on August 29, 2012, during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain gestures as he walks to the lectern on August 29, 2012, during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida.
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McCain pauses while giving a speech on April 8, 2017, at a ceremony in Andraz nad Polzelo, Slovenia, to honor a US fighter plane that was downed there during World War II.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain pauses while giving a speech on April 8, 2017, at a ceremony in Andraz nad Polzelo, Slovenia, to honor a US fighter plane that was downed there during World War II.
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McCain listens as former FBI Director James Comey testifies on June 8, 2017, before the Senate Intelligence Committee about his encounters with President Donald Trump and his role in investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain listens as former FBI Director James Comey testifies on June 8, 2017, before the Senate Intelligence Committee about his encounters with President Donald Trump and his role in investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.
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McCain, left, and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, head to the Senate chamber on July 13, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington, for a meeting on the revised Republican health care bill. The measure had been under attack from within the party.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain, left, and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tennessee, head to the Senate chamber on July 13, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington, for a meeting on the revised Republican health care bill. The measure had been under attack from within the party.
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McCain leaves the Senate chamber after voting on the GOP '"skinny repeal" health care bill on July 28, 2017. Three Senate Republicans, including McCain, voted no to a stripped-down version of Obamacare reform.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain leaves the Senate chamber after voting on the GOP '"skinny repeal" health care bill on July 28, 2017. Three Senate Republicans, including McCain, voted no to a stripped-down version of Obamacare reform.
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Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, listens during the confirmation hearing on July 11, 2017, for Navy secretary nominee Richard Spencer on Capitol Hill.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, listens during the confirmation hearing on July 11, 2017, for Navy secretary nominee Richard Spencer on Capitol Hill.
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John S. McCain III, right, sits on a sofa with his sister, Sandy, in a reproduction of a family photo taken about 1938.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
John S. McCain III, right, sits on a sofa with his sister, Sandy, in a reproduction of a family photo taken about 1938.
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McCain sits with his grandfather, Vice Admiral John S. McCain Sr., and his father, Cmdr. John S. McCain Jr., in a family photo taken in the 1940s.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain sits with his grandfather, Vice Admiral John S. McCain Sr., and his father, Cmdr. John S. McCain Jr., in a family photo taken in the 1940s.
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Lt. Cmdr. John McCain poses with his Navy squadron in 1965.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
Lt. Cmdr. John McCain poses with his Navy squadron in 1965.
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The North Vietnamese, in 1967, claimed to have shot down and captured McCain, shown in this file photo. The son of McCain Jr., then commander of American Naval Forces in Europe, the younger McCain was said to have been aboard a two-man F-4 Phantom fighter that was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Hanoi.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
The North Vietnamese, in 1967, claimed to have shot down and captured McCain, shown in this file photo. The son of McCain Jr., then commander of American Naval Forces in Europe, the younger McCain was said to have been aboard a two-man F-4 Phantom fighter that was shot down by a surface-to-air missile over Hanoi.
Hide Caption
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McCain Is pulled out of a Hanoi lake by North Vietnamese army soldiers and civilians on October 26, 1967. McCain broke both arms and his right knee upon ejection and lost consciousness until he hit the water. Upon capture, McCain was beaten, he has said. He was held for five years by the North Vietnamese and tortured.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain Is pulled out of a Hanoi lake by North Vietnamese army soldiers and civilians on October 26, 1967. McCain broke both arms and his right knee upon ejection and lost consciousness until he hit the water. Upon capture, McCain was beaten, he has said. He was held for five years by the North Vietnamese and tortured.
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A Vietnamese doctor examines McCain in 1967. For his service and captivity, he earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross Medal and Prisoner of War Medal.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
A Vietnamese doctor examines McCain in 1967. For his service and captivity, he earned the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross Medal and Prisoner of War Medal.
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McCain visits the Holt orphanage in Saigon, Vietnam, on October 30, 1974, as a guest of the South Vietnamese government. The institution cares for many youngsters fathered by American GIs.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain visits the Holt orphanage in Saigon, Vietnam, on October 30, 1974, as a guest of the South Vietnamese government. The institution cares for many youngsters fathered by American GIs.
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McCain, center, and his wife, Cindy, pose with Republican Rep. John Rhodes of Arizona in Phoenix. McCain was elected to the House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982, the year after he retired from the Navy.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain, center, and his wife, Cindy, pose with Republican Rep. John Rhodes of Arizona in Phoenix. McCain was elected to the House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982, the year after he retired from the Navy.
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Vice President George H.W. Bush re-enacts a Senate swearing-in with McCain and his family.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
Vice President George H.W. Bush re-enacts a Senate swearing-in with McCain and his family.
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Sen. John McCain, Sen. John Kerry, President George H.W. Bush, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Colin Powell, Gen. John Vessey and others attend a news conference about soldiers missing in action during the Vietnam War.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
Sen. John McCain, Sen. John Kerry, President George H.W. Bush, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Colin Powell, Gen. John Vessey and others attend a news conference about soldiers missing in action during the Vietnam War.
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McCain talks with people during the filming of the CBS Reports Special, "Honor, Duty and a War Called Vietnam," in 1985 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain talks with people during the filming of the CBS Reports Special, "Honor, Duty and a War Called Vietnam," in 1985 in Hanoi, Vietnam.
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McCain, bottom, attends a hearing on November 20, 1990, before the Senate Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. The session centered around his campaign contributor, Charles Keating Jr., who was convicted of swindling investors. McCain was among senators connected to the banker who became known as the Keating Five. Also at the hearing are McCain aide Gwendolyn van Paasschen and her attorney, Plato Cacheris, right.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain, bottom, attends a hearing on November 20, 1990, before the Senate Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. The session centered around his campaign contributor, Charles Keating Jr., who was convicted of swindling investors. McCain was among senators connected to the banker who became known as the Keating Five. Also at the hearing are McCain aide Gwendolyn van Paasschen and her attorney, Plato Cacheris, right.
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McCain gets a kiss from his wife, Cindy, as they kick off his 2000 presidential campaign in Greenville, South Carolina.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain gets a kiss from his wife, Cindy, as they kick off his 2000 presidential campaign in Greenville, South Carolina.
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McCain visits on October 14, 1999, with his wife, Cindy, and their children at home in Phoenix. Their daughters are Meghan, right, and Bridget, with sons Jack and Jimmy.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain visits on October 14, 1999, with his wife, Cindy, and their children at home in Phoenix. Their daughters are Meghan, right, and Bridget, with sons Jack and Jimmy.
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McCain rests in his motel room on November 4, 1999, during the primary campaign in New Hampshire.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain rests in his motel room on November 4, 1999, during the primary campaign in New Hampshire.
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McCain, third from left, with his wife, Cindy, and their children on February 1, 2000, in New Hampshire. They are, from left, Andy, Jimmy, Jack, Bridget, Meghan, Doug and Sidney.
Photos: The life and career of Sen. John McCain
McCain, third from left, with his wife, Cindy, and their children on February 1, 2000, in New Hampshire. They are, from left, Andy, Jimmy, Jack, Bridget, Meghan, Doug and Sidney.
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Three congressional sources told CNN on Friday that McCain is planning to return to Arizona to start cancer treatment Monday.
Friday morning, just before 2 a.m. ET, he delivered the fateful vote in the other direction. For over an hour, leadership tried to change his mind on the Senate floor on the "skinny repeal" bill. His junior colleague Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake appeared to be dispatched to talk him out of it. And when that didn't work, Vice President Mike Pence swooped in. Even President Donald Trump called to try a final "Hail Mary" to sway McCain, a source briefed on the call told CNN.
At one point, McCain was sitting with his long-time ally, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. The two were deep in conversation as Graham nodded along. At one point Graham took a call, and the man who just days before had received an outpouring of support from his colleagues on the floor was all alone, with no Republican approaching the veteran senator.
McCain returns to Senate floor (full speech)

McCain returns to Senate floor (full speech) 15:25
McCain has defied his party before. The former prisoner of war stood with Democrats to release a report on the use of enhanced interrogation techniques during the Bush years. He reached across the aisle to fix the country's health care system for veterans with independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, and was known to unload on his own party when he felt they needed a reality check.
But Friday's vote may be one of his most memorable moments. In the end, the senator voted against a bill that would have repealed the Affordable Care Act's individual and employer mandates, despised by Republicans, and against his party's seven-year campaign promise to dismantle President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement. Instead, McCain took a vote that very well may re-chart the course of Trump's own legislative agenda.
The vote Mitch McConnell couldn't win
The vote Mitch McConnell couldn't win
Trump, of course, had insulted McCain back in 2015. "He is a war hero because he was captured," Trump said in a question-and-answer session in Iowa. "I like people that weren't captured, OK? I hate to tell you. He is a war hero because he was captured. OK, you can have -- I believe perhaps he is a war hero."
Earlier this week, after McCain's vote advancing the health care bill, Trump was far kinder.
"So great that John McCain is coming back to vote. Brave - American hero! Thank you John," Trump tweeted.
McCain promised a show on the way in, and delivered. Reporters and observers in the gallery watched his every movement as he spoke to various senators. At one point, he even huddled with Democrats. As he was speaking to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, other Democrats came closer and closer, forming a large half-circle around the former Republican presidential nominee, who, make no mistake, has worked to thwart Democratic ambitions over the years as well.
READ: John McCain's Senate floor speech
Schumer gets emotional over McCain

Schumer gets emotional over McCain 00:58
"John McCain is a hero and has courage and does the right thing," Schumer said afterwards.
Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, had a feeling even earlier in the day that McCain may be on his side this time.
"We had a brief conversation that was intriguing and then several other senators also had other conversations with him. He was sort of leaving little hints, here and there," Coons said.
After the vote, Senate Majority Leader Leader Mitch McConnell lamented the end result -- McCain joining Republican holdouts Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins in ending the Obamacare repeal dream for the moment.
"I regret that we're here," McConnell said. "I'm proud of the vote I cast tonight. It's consistent with what we told the American people we'd try to accomplish in four straight election if they gave us a chance."
As McConnell lectured his GOP colleagues for failing to uphold their promises to voters to end Obamacare, McCain sat nearby, hands folded in his lap, with Murkowski by his side, as she had been for most of the night.
Later, as he got into his car to leave the Capitol, McCain was asked, "Why did you vote no?"
He answered simply: "Because it was the right vote."
CNN's MJ Lee, Jeremy Herb and Teddy Davis contributed to this report.
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