John McCain Memorial At Washington National Cathedral: Highlights

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. John McCain, the heroic Vietnam war veteran and "maverick" senator, was memorialized at a ceremony at the Washington National Cathedral on Saturday. Speakers from both sides of the aisle remembered the late senator who died last week after a battle with cancer. (You can watch a recap of the memorial service below)

The memorial on Saturday marked the end of a week of events celebrating the life and legacy of the Republican senator from Arizona. Speakers at Saturday's memorial spoke of McCain's convictions and beliefs and offered understated rebukes to President Trump, who was not invited to Saturday's invitation-only memorial. The president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband Jared Kushner, both senior White House aides, were in attendance at the cathedral, as were a number of members of the administration.

Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, both of whom defeated McCain in his ambition to attain the nation's highest office, were among the speakers McCain had requested to speak at the memorial.

Here are the highlights from Saturday's memorial service:

Cindy McCain Lays A Wreath At The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

As McCain's casket made its way from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington National Cathedral, it made a stop at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Cindy McCain laid a wreath at the memorial honoring the lives lost in the Vietnam war. She was accompanied by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and John Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general who's President Donald Trump's chief of staff.

McCain's Casket Arrives At The Cathedral

Meghan McCain: "America Was Always Great"

McCain's daughter, Meghan McCain, was the first to speak at Saturday's memorial, delivering a powerful and emotional speech, at times speaking through uncontrollable tears.

"The America of John McCain has no need to be made great because America was always great," she said to applause from the mourners.

Susan Glaser, a staff writer at The New Yorker, noted that the applause heard at the service was not standard.

You can watch her full speech below:

McCain's Son, Jimmy McCain, Reads The Poem "The Requiem" By Robert Louis Stevenson

Joe Lieberman, Former Senator From Connecticut, Pays Tribute

Lieberman, a close friend of McCain's, reflected on the time he spent traveling with McCain and Sen. Lindsey Graham, the "three amigos." He also reflected on McCain's sense of humor.

"John loved to laugh and make others laugh," Lieberman said. "When he found a joke that people liked, he told it over and over and over again."

Lieberman also noted the role McCain played in normalizing relations between the United States and Vietnam, calling it "an extraordinary act of personal forgiveness." McCain was captured and tortured as a prisoner of war for five years in Vietnam.

You can watch Lieberman's full speech below:

Former Secretary Of State Henry Kissinger Pays Tribute

Kissinger remarked on how when McCain was a prisoner of war in Vietnam he received no special treatment even though McCain's father was the commander-in-chief of the Pacific Command at the time.

Kissinger said that when McCain's father briefed the president on the Vietnam war, he answered references to his son, only as "I pray for him."

"In the McCain's family, national service was its own reward, it did not allow for special treatment," Kissinger said.

Former President George W. Bush: "From Troublemaking Plebe To Presidential Candidate"

In his speech, Bush reflected on the vastness of McCain's life.

"The thing about John’s life was the amazing sweep of it," Bush said. "From a tiny prison cell in Vietnam to the floor of the United States Senate. From troublemaking plebe to presidential candidate."

He recalled how McCain appeared at his side before a presidential debate with John Kerry in Phoenix and told him to "relax."

Towards the end of his speech, Bush said how McCain was the kind of leader who was born to meet the challenge of defending and demonstrating the defining ideals of America.

"If we are ever tempted to forget who we are, to grow weary of our cause, John’s voice will always come as a whisper over our shoulder: We are better than this," Bush said. "America is better than this."

You can watch Bush's full remarks below:

Former President Barack Obama: "We Never Doubted We Were On The Same Team"

Obama joked about McCain's request to have him and Bush speak at the memorial.

"What better way to get a last laugh than make George and I say nice things about him to a national audience?" Obama said to laughter from the audience.

Obama noted how he and McCain came from vastly different backgrounds and disagreed on a number of issues and yet, the two knew that they were on the same team. Obama recalled how he and McCain would sit and talk in the oval office when he was president. He said that while their disagreements didn't go away during these conversations, they enjoyed their time together and laughed and learned from each other.

"We never doubted we were on the same team," Obama said.

Obama also knocked "politics that pretends to be brave and tough, but in fact is born of fear," and reminded the audience that McCain called on the country to be bigger and better than that.

Watch Obama's full speech below:

"Danny Boy" Performed By Renee Fleming

McCain's Casket Is Carried Out Of Washington National Cathedral

McCain will be buried on Sunday at his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. A small private funeral and burial service will be held Sunday.

SEE MORE: John McCain Funeral, Burial Details At Naval Academy

You can watch the full memorial below:

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 1: Guests arrive at the Washington National Cathedral for the funeral service for the late Senator John McCain, September 1, 2018 in Washington, DC. Former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush are set to deliver eulogies for McCain in front of the 2,500 invited guests. McCain will be buried on Sunday at the U.S. Naval Academy Cemetery. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images News/Getty Images