MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:
And as Senator Coons' comments reflect, John McCain was known for his civility and bipartisanship in Congress. Here he is reading from his memoir published in April called "The Restless Wave."
JOHN MCCAIN: (Reading) Before I leave, I'd like to see our politics begin to return to the purposes and practices that distinguish our history from the history of other nations. I'd like to see us recover our sense that we are more alike than different. We're citizens of a republic made of shared ideals, forged in a new world to replace the tribal enmities that tormented the old one. Even in times of political turmoil such as these, we share that awesome heritage and the responsibility to embrace it. Whether we think each other right or wrong in our views on the issues of the day, we owe each other our respect as so long as our character merits respect and as long as we share for all our differences, for all the rancorous debates that enliven and sometimes demean our politics, a mutual devotion to the ideals our nation was conceived to uphold - that all are created equal, and liberty and equal justice are the natural rights of all. Those rights inhabit the human heart. And from there, though they may be assailed, they can never be wrenched. I want to urge Americans for as long as I can to remember that this shared devotion to human rights is our truest heritage and our most important loyalty. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.