John McCain

Above, President Nixon welcomes ex-POW John McCain home in 1973.

The passing of Sen. John McCain has left me with mixed feelings.

I have full sympathy for his family and friends over his passing. But, I also remember some of the things he did as a self-described "maverick", most recently for being the one vote against repealing ObamaCare, which leaves us with much of it today.

He was strong on defense, but he always seemed ready to inject American troops in world hotspots.

While I think he would have been a far better president than Barack Obama, my 2008 vote was mainly for his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin.

McCain's career will be examined in the years ahead by historians and others. I'll just leave it at that.