Keller @ Large: John McCain One Of Our Greatest Living Americans

BOSTON (CBS) - The news that Sen. John McCain has brain cancer is depressing, most notably because we have to confront the possibility we may soon lose the company of one of our greatest living Americans.

McCain was born in 1936, too late to fight in World War II and be considered part of the so-called Greatest Generation, but the personification of many of that generation's outstanding qualities.

First and foremost, toughness.

The story of McCain's years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam is an American legend. Badly wounded when his plane was shot down, he was nearly slaughtered by his captors, enduring years of torture in captivity but refusing early release to deny them a propaganda victory.

One of the worst things I have ever witnessed in nearly 40 years of covering politics was the slur hurled at McCain by then-candidate Donald Trump. "He's not a war hero," draft evader Trump said of a man who has won nearly every award our military can bestow. "He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured."

McCain didn't say much about that egregious insult.

Instead, he has continued to do what he's done throughout his political career – stand on principle, listen and respond to his constituents, support his party but act in a bipartisan manner whenever possible, and in general behave the way powerful public servants once felt compelled to act in our country.

It is beyond ironic that McCain is facing the same type of cancer that took Ted Kennedy. Those two couldn't be more different, but they were friends and colleagues.

If Ted were here today, he would be appalled at the news about McCain.

They both belonged to a generation that made America great – the real deal, not the cheap slogan.