Former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday eulogized late senator John McCain as an American "giant" whose belief in the soul of the country helped give citizens their confidence and optimism.
Biden led heartfelt tributes to the warrior and onetime Republican presidential nominee at a Phoenix memorial shortly before McCain's remains were to be flown to Washington.
"My name is Joe Biden. I'm a Democrat. And I love John McCain," he began as he praised his longtime Republican Senate colleague as "a giant among all of us," a hero whose character, courage and integrity helped inspire a nation.
"The bottom line is, I think John believed in us," said Biden, who occasionally wiped away tears as he recounted a friendship that marked a bygone-era of bipartisan cooperation in Washington.
Biden's poignant words came a day after more than 15,000 people, many waiting in 38 degrees summer heat, paid tribute to McCain at the Arizona state capitol.
Some two dozen senators from both parties attended Thursday's church ceremony, as did McCain's children and wife Cindy, who wore black mourning dress.
