Inside McCain's surprise eulogy invitation to Obama

By Jeff Zeleny, CNN Senior White House Correspondent, Aug. 28

[....] during the 2008 presidential race.

I had a daily ringside seat to their feud, covering the campaign for The New York Times, chronicling their fights over the Iraq war and, later, the economy. On those subjects, and many more, McCain viewed Obama as naïve and unprepared for the presidency. To be clear, those critiques lingered long after Obama won, particularly on matters of national security.

So, I've been wondering whether McCain and Obama had somehow developed an intimate relationship after Obama left office, if they had been having quiet conversations over the last year or two that haven't been publicly discussed as McCain neared the end of his journey.

It turns out, after talking to several friends of both men this week, their relationship isn't intimate at all, but rather one rooted in mutual respect and a shared sense of alarm at today's caustic political climate. Their telephone call on that April day was first arranged by advisers, not McCain simply dialing up Obama as he would do with his legion of friends, a sign they were hardly tight.

In fact, the two have spoken by phone only a couple of times since Obama left the White House, aides to both men say, most notably last summer when Obama reached out after McCain cast the deciding vote to salvage the Affordable Care Act. He thanked him. The call was brief [....]

McCain's decision to ask Obama and Bush to eulogize him is part of a carefully choreographed -- and, yes, even strategic -- message for America and the world in the wake of his death [....]

@ Politico

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