Letter to John McCain

I’ve had a long like/dislike relationship to Sen. John McCain.  In 2000 in CA I switched parties so I could vote for him in the Republican primary against George W. Bush.  Eight years later he unleashed Sarah Palin on the world, and I thought he was an idiot.  Some of his more recent actions (“I’ll vote for the Republican nominee”) have also disgusted me.

Then, on March 25, McCain wrote an obituary for Delmer Berg, a member of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.  Since Mr. Berg was a life-long communist, I was pleasantly surprised.  Here’s what I wrote to Sen.McCain:

Dear Senator McCain:

I have always admired the Americans who went to Spain in the Thirties to fight the fascists.  The Abraham Lincoln Brigade, idealists all, exemplified the best instincts of Americans.  That some of them were Communists doesn’t matter.  They weren’t fighting for Stalin; they were fighting for democracy.

I really appreciated your column in the New York Times memorializing  Delmer Berg, the last remaining member of the Brigade.   Thank you.