The senator had every right to dislike the president and the president had an equal right to dislike the senator. Even those most admiring of McCain have acknowledged that he had a bad temper and at times was a nasty man. That quality was certainly in evidence in his dramatic casting of a decisive vote against the repeal of Obamacare, a policy goal he had pledged to support.

The spectacle of the Obamas, Bushes, Clintons, Cheneys, Al Gore and in earlier proceedings Joe Biden, prominent among the mourners, brought to mind everything that President Trump has run successfully against. Vice President Pence spoke with admirable diplomacy to bridge political differences at the Capitol on Friday. Apart from Mattis, the administration was also represented at the funeral by the White House chief of staff, General John Kelly, and by the president’s elder daughter and son-in-law.

Throughout the week, the president and his family and administration were the soul of discretion and respect, ignoring the media repurposing of the obsequies as a Trump-bashing orgy. Obama’s comments reminded us of why the American public has substantially rejected the 20 years of public policy personified by the chief official mourners.