This McCain photo from today

[Haggis for Breakfast]

34. I have been to The Wall several times

and have never able to make it all the way through. There are names on that wall of friends I grew up with and I can't bear to see their names engraved. I have broken down each time I've been there.

For those of you who have never been to The Wall, let me share this with you: The Wall is shaped like an elongated diamond, lying on the point of its side. As you encounter the first panel, there are about two dozen or so names on it, then the next panel has about 50 or so, then as you walk down the diagonal side of the sculpture, the panels become bigger and reach higher and higher up, and contain more and more names until the panels are huge and the number of names on the panels are so numerous, it staggers the mind. When you reach the half-way point, the process begins to reverse itself. I have yet to get past the center of it. By that time, the enormity of the all of those names (58,318 in total, and names are added from time to time), just overwhelms me. I find that I can't breathe, all the strength goes out of my legs, my internal gyroscope veers off kilter, my head starts to spin and despite being out in the open, I feel claustrophobic, and I cannot continue. Before I know it, tears of white hot rage and sorrow over the all-consuming senseless loss of life (of people I knew and loved) starts splashing down my face.

I don't think I will ever be able to walk the entire Wall.