John McCain’s passing is too big for us to ignore, yet we don’t have a lot to say about the man other than he was unquestionably of importance, and that his personal story was…complicated.

There’s debate about whether he was a hero or villain (or both, or neither). Some of the attacks on McCain, such as blaming him for the tragic fire aboard the USS Forrestal which took the lives of 134 men and injured 161 more, are oft-repeated but not true. Additional stories about his comportment during an extended period as a prisoner of war, and whether he truly earned the nickname “songbird” for speaking to the enemy, are hard to verify. Opposing stories describe his heroism while in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton.”

He did, unquestionably, dedicate his life to public service. And that’s something we respect, even if we didn’t like most of his political stands (he was pretty much the original RINO), and even if his inept presidential run helped make Barack Obama our national nightmare for eight seemingly-endless years.

In the end, we can’t weigh the worth of the man or know the entirety of what was in his heart. Which makes a moment of respectful silence all the more appropriate.