To read the primary coverage of McCain's funeral is to get the impression that the whole event was one big "sick burn" against Trump. Want to see one of those? The Onion's got you covered. What really happened was far more mild.
McCain's "sick burn" was disinviting Trump. Most of the rest of the eulogies were similarly oblique, with the possible exception of Meghan McCain. Cue despicable Trump comment about her weight while lusting after Ivanka in 3... 2... 1...
Most of the eulogies were about honor and service and high-minded ideals, done with just enough of an indication to remember what a toxic parasite the actual sitting President is. You did, however, have to think about the comments and squint a tiny bit at them to notice, and that was the pattern. You may not have to think hard (unless you are as stupid as Donny), but the reference was always without mention. Consider this passage from Obama:
So much of our politics, our public life, our public discourse, can seem small and mean and petty, trafficking in bombast and insult and phony controversies and manufactured outrage. It's a politics that pretends to be brave and tough, but in fact is borne of fear. John called on us to be bigger than that.
Of course, saying that McCain wanted us to be bigger than that ignores his role inflicting Sarah Palin on the nation, and that part of his campaign accused none other than Barack Obama of "pallin' around with terrorists." Plenty of other McCain surrogates loved to emphasize Obama's middle name. Why? It's "Hussein." You figure it out. Yeah, McCain hated emphasizing fear. I call bullshit. Why? My memory is longer than that of a goldfish. Forgiveness on this stuff is Obama's right, but I judge based on what I see.
Regardless, it doesn't take much to see that the goal here was to attack Trump. As long as his name wasn't spoken. And that's the theme. Don't speak his name.
Of course, it was McCain's funeral, so why should it be about Trump? That's sort of the point of The Onion's gag. Not everything has to be about Trump, although I just got back from the APSA, and I got into the habit of timing conversations. Nothing lasted longer than 2 minutes before turning to Trump. So yeah, I guess McCain's funeral too had to be about Trump.
The obliqueness of the attacks, though, is worth noting, particularly in the context of McCain, who, as I said in my critique of the man, never really stood up to Trump. He cast one vote against "skinny repeal," and then undid that vote by voting for a tax bill that included "skinny repeal" as a provision. His big act of Trump defiance was disinviting the guy from his funeral. That's it. And that's all any Republican will do, even at this stage, with everything we know.
There is a time and a place for pointing out the "high crimes and misdemeanors" of the President, and a deceased Senator's funeral is not that time. Even I'll agree to that, but the obliqueness of Trump criticism from the figures who made it is not limited to McCain's funeral. When have these people spoken up or more importantly, done anything?
That leads me to the coverage. I began this post with the observation that common news coverage would lead you to think that the whole event was one big "sick burn" on Trump, even though everything was oblique. Why? Standards. Consider Obama. There is a norm that a former president doesn't talk trash about a sitting president. Of course, a sitting president generally isn't a racist shitbag who based his political ascent on lying about where the last president was born because of the color of his skin, so, you know, fuck that bullshit rule, as far as I'm concerned. Still, any criticism from the former president is worth noting, oblique or otherwise. The fact that criticism occurs at a deceased Senator's funeral is worth noting, oblique or otherwise.
The flip-side is... quit whining and do something, people! Obama is out of office, as is Dubya. Plenty of other people speak of honor and service, and things. They actually have formal institutional power. Lindsey Graham? That worthless little Trump lapdog who got beaten into submission like the spineless coward he is? He could do something. He won't, but he could. And that's the problem.
Speaking obliquely about what McCain supposedly valued is worth nothing while letting Trump shit all over everything without bothering to pay the tribute that vice sometimes pays to virtue. He's too much of a cheapskate to bother with hypocrisy. Either that, or he's lying about how rich he is, just like he lies about everything else. Take your pick.