Citizen McCain

During the political season, it is good to read a political book which just gives some straight talk without attacking. Citizen McCain documents some of the years in which McCain worked with Congress on the McCain Fiengold Campaign Finance Reform Bill. After Congress got through with it, the final bill was not the same as it started. I'm sure he would like to see more reform. (At the time this was written, most people had not heard of Obama.) The book gives insight into how Congress works and how it takes persistance, cooperation, and the maturity to have the patience of Job to get a bill passed. I enjoyed seeing him at work. One trait which has not gotten the attention it deserves is his empathy. The author states: "...the empathy of someone who's suffered for someone he sees is hurting. There's a kindness, even a sweetness, that's unusual for people so ordinarily self-centered as polilticians." This book also shows his leadership during 9-ll. Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir offers more insight into McCain especially his experiences as a POW. It also shows how he was a maverick even when he was 2 years old. In this autobiographical book, it is amazing how much he talked about the importance of others and the need to serve a cause greater than self-interest. It is not an "all about me" type of book.

Get personalities out of the equation.An unvarnished up to date inside look at how our national legislation is formulated, processed, obstructed and finally passed. An vital and compelling insight into the capabilities and limitations of our constitutional process. Critical insight into the legislative process. A forceful argument for communicating with our elected representatives.Who says so? I'm a student of government: Georgetown; AB [History/Government],1955; Stanford, MA [International Relations],1964; and victim of Congressional ambivalence (POW Hanoi, Vietnam 1967 - 1973].Incidentally, Senator McCain comes across as a TR reincarnated; but that is not the fault of the author. McCain assumes the responsibilty himself. What you sees is what you gets. Don't fault the messenger; read the book and be a better citizen for the doing so.

My mother-in-law always used to give me a subscription to the New Yorker for Xmas, so I have been a longtime reader and fan of Elizabeth Drew. For those of us in the hinterland who can only stand a limited amount of Washington politics, she is a good filter for it. Now she has taken on our most famous maverick politician, and the combination is a winner. There is enough inside detail to let you know how things work, and at the end you can close the cover and say "Thank God I don't have to live there!"

I never thought that I would write a review of a book on campaign finance reform and call it a "page turner," but this one is just GREAT....It keep me enthralled all the way to the end, which is more than I can say about other books on similar subjects.Despite what many think, living inside "the beltway" does not necessarily equate to an knowledge of the inner-workings of Congress. In fact, although I read the news coverage of the protracted campaign-finance reform battle, I didn't have a clear understanding of the difficulties behind-the-scenes.What I enjoyed most about Elizabeth Drew's latest book--Citizen McCain--is that it delves into all of the inner workings: the wrangling and deal-making that accompany Congressional legislation. Ms. Drew is able to explain it in plain English--and it's fascinating. I definitely recommend this book.

This is a highly revealing book about Senator John McCain, one of the most fascinating figures to hit the political scene in many moons. Those who followed his unsuccessful but energizing presidential campaign will be delighted to see the more complete and complex figure who emerges in these pages. He is shown as a serious strategic thinker who keeps his eye on the ball to achieve a long term legislative goal. While describing McCain the book also gives a lot of insight into the process which led to the passage of the campaign finance overhaul. It's a great read for anyone interested in McCain, Washington politics, the campaign finance system in this country or all of the above.