McCain closed with a remarkable story about a former adversary who became one of his closest friends. During the Vietnam War, a young American had traveled to Hanoi to denounce the war — and his speech was broadcast into the cells where McCain and his fellow prisoners were held. McCain considered him an enemy. Years later, the man approached McCain and apologized. He had come to realize that while the war may have been wrong, he had let his criticism blind him to his country's generosity and goodness. The two men became friends and worked together promoting human rights. When David Ifshin died at forty-seven, McCain grieved the loss deeply. The story embodied his central message: that shared ideals and mutual respect can bridge even the most painful divides, and that what unites Americans — their devotion to the idea that freedom is the inalienable right of all people — is far greater than what separates them.