Mike Hosking: Why was John McCain's death used to attack Trump?

Barack Obama chose to eulogise the merits of a great American by pointing out how lacking another one was by comparison. Photo / AP

COMMENT: Now that John McCain has finally been laid to rest, who won?

Because that's sadly what it turned into, that's what it was all about.

Were there more headlines on McCain being an American in the best traditions of Americans? Or were there more headlines about Trump being Trump and all that is wrong with that?

The last one I read yesterday was a commentary on Trump being churlish over it all, and he was. He did what Trump so often does - take an issue that doesn't need to be an issue and blow it up into a mess.

The flag, the tweets, playing golf. It's all pathetic, and sadly it's a blight on his presidency.

But is it more churlish being churlish or standing in a memorial service being churlish by pointing out how churlish people are?

Who wins the churlishness prize?

Surely the irony cannot have been missed at watching a former President, namely Barack Obama, take what really should have been a moment to eulogise the merits of a great American, but instead eulogise the merits of a great American by pointing out how lacking another one was by comparison.

It was point scoring, it was a stump speech relocated.

George W. Bush was better, but not much.

And McCain's daughter took the prize, although in many respects she's allowed to, given her relationship, and the fact she's not a politician.

And then if you really want to be honest about it, the whole thing was set up by McCain for the very purpose of achieving exactly what unfolded.

And that was to stick it up the sitting President by humiliating him.

Not exactly an act of honour, valour, kindness, or any sort of generosity at all.

You use your own national farewell to score a few last points, is anyone any better off because of that?

This is a country remember where there is a long held and very strong tradition, really only recently broken by Obama, whereby former presidents don't comment on current Presidents.

You respect the office.

No one, as far as I can tell, is respecting anyone.

Which is another irony of the whole thing, up until the passing of John McCain, America hated Washington because Washington is broken and has been broken for years.

And yes McCain was one of those who talked often of fixing it, of working across the aisle but the fact is they didn't, and don't.

But the outworkings of all of this, is that Trump took a pasting because Trump is a victim of those who hate him, and can't let go that he won.

But he took a pasting also from those who claim to be better.

But really if it's the words and actions we are judging, they're no better at all. They're just as bad, perhaps even worse, given they're hypocrites.