'I believe in the good sense of the American people': Cindy McCain hopes new library can boost political civility

On a day when President Joe Biden lacerated former President Donald Trump for assaults on American democracy, Cindy McCain said she looks forward to a library in Tempe in her late husband’s name that can help refocus public attention to traditional norms and political civility.

Cindy McCain, who heads the World Food Program for the United Nations, said her role is a reminder of the deep divisions that can dominate attention, but the McCain National Library at Arizona State University can serve as a place to gather, learn and rededicate to lasting ideals.

“In the world that I deal with — which is a world that’s on fire and coming apart — the thought of not having some civility in the United States or some ability to agree to disagree and still remain friends is something that we need to strive to,” she said.

“I believe in the good sense of the American people. I believe in the good sense of people in the world to hopefully make sure we can build a better life, a better community, and represent the United States and the Constitution in a way that it should be represented.”

Her husband, John McCain, represented Arizona in the House and Senate from 1983 until his death in 2018 and was a two-time presidential aspirant.

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Looking out to the area in Tempe where the McCain library will rise, Cindy McCain wanted to focus on the longer battle for preserving American character, not just today's political battles.

Her son Jack McCain said the attention to the present state of American democracy is part of a permanent struggle that must be fully joined following priorities his father emphasized.

“The maintenance of democracy is a timeless issue for the United States whatever form that takes,” Jack McCain said. “There are a few ways you can never go wrong, and that’s driving civility, the importance of civility in politics, driving virtue, and making sure that it is the Americans' voices who are the loudest. I don’t think is necessarily a contemporary problem, but one that is ageless in all forms of democracy.”

The future library is still taking shape, from architectural design to the kinds of programs it hopes to host, the McCains said. But there are a few elements that will clearly play a leading role.

John McCain’s biography, especially his years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, will be important, Jack McCain said.

“We’ll figure out a way to showcase it correctly and, especially tastefully, but the POW experience was one that really shaped my father and what he became,” he said. “We want to make sure that we incorporate not just his experience, but the experience of POWs at large into the library itself. It’s one of the more potent and important lessons that we can have.”

“Most of all it is about carrying on his legacy of duty, honor, country and his legacy of character-driven leadership,” Cindy McCain said.

Jack McCain wants the library to properly represent Arizona to the world, play a meaningful role in mentoring the young and perhaps host political debates as well. He plans to remain actively involved in the project, though that remains vague for the moment.

“I don’t know quite what the role title will be,” he said, “but I promise you that I’ll have a very large role to play in the future of the library. It’s incredibly close to my heart.” He heads state and local government affairs for American Airlines in Phoenix.

Cindy McCain said the library’s development will be a key personal priority of hers as well, even as she is drawn to global issues, such as the slowdown in food to Africa amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“There’s always time for family, so I can always make this work,” she said.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cindy McCain sees McCain National Library as boost to democracy