Amber Randall – Civil Rights Reporter on 10/16/2017
Arizona Sen. John McCain, a Republican, warned of a “half-baked nationalism” threat to America’s principles Monday while accepting the Liberty Medal in Philadelphia.
McCain, during a speech for his medal ceremony, ripped into the “spurious” nationalism that is occurring throughout the country, ABC News reported.
“To fear the world we have organized and led for three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership and our duty to remain ‘the last best hope of earth’ for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that Americans consigned to the ash heap of history,” McCain said in his speech.
Former Vice President Joe Biden presented McCain with the Liberty Medal. The Liberty Medal, awarded by the National Constitution Center, is reserved for those who try to bring freedom to those around the world. McCain was chosen for his sacrifice for his country.
America needs to continue living by her principles because the world needs her guidance, McCain also said.
“We have a moral obligation to continue in our just cause, and we would bring more than shame on ourselves if we don’t. We will not thrive in a world where our leadership and ideals are absent. We wouldn’t deserve to,” he said.
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