Perhaps I never gave him a chance (I do not really give politicians too many), but THIS… now THIS truly fantastic passage says a lot about John McCain and, I think, represents all that is holy about the US of A (if anything can be holy about it).  McCain is speaking in reference to (the not-very-bright) Michele Bachmann‘s McCarthyesque conspiracy theory of the Muslim Brotherhood successfully infiltrating Congress (or something like that).

Ultimately, what is at stake in this matter is larger even than the reputation of one person. This is about who we are as a nation, and who we aspire to be. What makes America exceptional among the countries of the world is that we are bound together as citizens not by blood or class, not by sect or ethnicity, but by a set of enduring, universal, and equal rights that are the foundation of our constitution, our laws, our citizenry, and our identity. When anyone, not least a member of Congress, launches specious and degrading attacks against fellow Americans on the basis of nothing more than fear of who they are and ignorance of what they stand for, it defames the spirit of our nation, and we all grow poorer because of it.

The vision for the country which is touched upon here by McCain is something to strive for and revere.  ‘Leaders’ such as Bachmann are so inept and have no clue what really makes ‘American exceptionalism’.  I am thankful that McCain had the courage to go against the grain of his party and support the Muslim communities across the US of A.