--- title: Watch Lindsey Graham's Emotional Farewell to John McCain description: Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Sen. John McCain's closest friends, gave him an emotional sendoff on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday. canonical: https://time.com/5380779/he-failed-a-lot-but-he-never-quit-watch-lindsey-grahams-emotional-farewell-to-john-mccain/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-28T19:40:51.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T07:52:25.661Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'He Failed a Lot, But He Never Quit.' Watch Lindsey Graham's Emotional Farewell to John McCain og:description: "John taught us how to lose." og:url: https://time.com/5380779/he-failed-a-lot-but-he-never-quit-watch-lindsey-grahams-emotional-farewell-to-john-mccain/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c2a6d2812d43e19/698938d87cdbac0e52d5dc7e/lindsey-graham-john-mccain.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Senators McCain, Graham, Cassidy and Johnson Discuss Health Care Reform og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'He Failed a Lot, But He Never Quit.' Watch Lindsey Graham's Emotional Farewell to John McCain twitter:description: "John taught us how to lose." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c2a6d2812d43e19/698938d87cdbac0e52d5dc7e/lindsey-graham-john-mccain.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'He Failed a Lot, But He Never Quit.' Watch Lindsey Graham's Emotional Farewell to John McCain > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=aa452c0b-efc3-4f49-a147-3d5c9105611a&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Lindsey Graham Honors McCain on Senate Floor [Watch (HLS stream): Lindsey Graham Honors McCain on Senate Floor](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/N8FBwxaz.m3u8) (4:51)  _Published 2018-08-28. Lindsey Graham Honors McCain on Senate Floor_ by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Aug 28, 2018 7:40 PM UTC Lindsey Graham Honors McCain on Senate Floor by [Ryan Teague Beckwith](https://time.com/author/ryan-teague-beckwith/) ## Ryan Teague Beckwith Aug 28, 2018 7:40 PM UTC Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Sen. John McCain’s closest friends, gave him an emotional sendoff on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday. Fighting back tears, the South Carolina Republican spoke about his personal experiences with McCain touring the [Hanoi Hilton](http://time.com/5377698/john-mccain-prisoner-of-war-vietnam/) where he was held by the North Vietnamese and campaigning unsuccessfully for president in 2008. “John taught us how to lose,” he said. “When you go throughout the world. People remember his concession speech as much as anything else. There are so many countries where you can’t afford to lose because they’ll kill you. And John said that night, ‘President Obama is now my president.’ So he healed the nation at a time he was hurt.”  In this image from Senate Television, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks on the Senate floor at the Capitol in Washington,, next to the desk of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., draped in black with a bowl of white roses sitting on it on Aug. 28, 2018. Uncredited/AP/REX/Shutterstock Along with former Democrat-turned-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman, Graham and McCain were often referred to as the [“three amigos”](https://www.yahoo.com/gma/inside-john-mccains-three-amigos-friendship-015517089--abc-news-topstories.html) because of their close relationship. Graham, who [also ran unsuccessfully for president](https://www.politico.com/story/2015/12/lindsey-graham-suspends-presidential-campaign-217028) in 2016, said that McCain taught him that he was stronger because of his failure. “To those who are striving as a young person, remember John McCain,” he said. “He failed a lot, but he never quit.” ## Transcript Learn how to fight a lot [ LAUGH ], everything and everybody, I learned how to forgive. In from him, I saw how to heal. On the fighting side, I learned that the captured warrior who was tortured became the statesman. Who forgave and healed a relationship between his former adversary and her nation. I went to the Hanoi Hilton, it's one of the highlights of my life, with John. It is now a museum, and we're the bad guys, cuz they get the right of how the museum reads. I remember being in front of that cell and you can see the wheels turning. And the memory's coming back. And as we walked forward surrounded by a bunch of a handlers and John McCain was Elvis in Vietnam. It was the most amazing thing in the world. How people adored him in Vietnam. I saw a bunch of photos on the wall of the prisoners playing volleyball, sitting in the sun with sunglasses on. I said, John, must have not been that bad after all. And he said, with a wry smile, I don't remember it this way. Which allowed us to get out of Vietnam. I remember him embracing a war that nobody wanted to talk about, because he understood what it would cost to lose it. I remember him supporting the surge When everybody was willing to get out of Iraq because they were so tired of it and saw no way forward, I remember the fighter. I remember the 2008 campaign when in 2007, John McCain was 5th in a four person race. Written off as politically dead, no money The straight talk express had no wheels. I had a shared determination after a visit to Iraq where Jennifer Trayes allowed him to talk in July to 600 people that were gonna reenlist in a war that they did not have to continue to fight. And about equal number becoming citizens cuz they were fighting for their country and expedited citizenship. Two empty chairs in the front with boots and John asked, what is that all about? Two didn't make it to the ceremony, but they're given their citizenship that day. I remember about 2000 soldiers wanting a photo, and every one of them got it. I remember it being so hot I couldn't breathe, but we stayed anyway. I remembered coming back and getting the nomination, only to lose. I remember that night very well. He had wanted to be President. We was prepared to be President, but it was not his to have. And I remember above all else the speech he gave that night. John taught us how to lose. When you go throughout the world People remember his concession speech as much as anything else. There's so many countries where you can't afford to lose, cuz the kill you and John said that night, " President Obama is not my president ." So, he healed the nation. and at time he was hurt. I learned that serving the cause greater than yourself hurts. Anybody in the military can tell you the risk you take. He couldn't put his jacket on. He couldn't comb his hair because he got hurt. Serving a cause greater than his self. I remember how easy it is to say and how hard it is to do. How hard it is to tell your base I think you're wrong. How hard it is to solve problems that nobody else wants to talk about. I learned that failure and success are the different sides of the same coin. The John told me I have become better from my failures because it teaches and I've been tempted by my success. And without my failures I would never have been successful. So then those who are striving as young person, remember John McCay, he failed a lot but he never quit. And the reason we're talking about him today and the reason I'm crying is because he was successful in spite of his failures. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5380779/he-failed-a-lot-but-he-never-quit-watch-lindsey-grahams-emotional-farewell-to-john-mccain/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5380779/he-failed-a-lot-but-he-never-quit-watch-lindsey-grahams-emotional-farewell-to-john-mccain/"},"headline":"'He Failed a Lot, But He Never Quit.' Watch Lindsey Graham's Emotional Farewell to John McCain","datePublished":"2018-08-28T19:40:51.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-13T07:52:25.661Z","description":"Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Sen. 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