Max Boot: McCain leaves the stage when we need him most

Abraham Lincoln said, "Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., was the real thing, and that is why his reputation will cast such a long shadow over our politics for years to come.McCain was the rare celebrity who was even more impressive in person than on television. I first met him after the publication of my 2002 book, “The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American