Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them

John McCain's "Hard Call: The Art of Great Decisions" reveals the essential character qualities required to make the "Hard Call" by retelling stories of great decision makers, past and present. I learned many new things about the character of people like Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Abe Lincoln, and many others. As McCain illuminates the character qualities each of these people displayed in their great decisions, we get a glimpse at the character of the author as well.

So good, I wanted to share with my four grandsons by sending each his own personal copy with a note from Grandpa.

If you are looking for insights into John McCains political leanings then you will have to look elsewhere. If on the other hand you are looking for insight into his thought processes this is a solid read. McCain has had to make hard calls in his life, and his book emphasizes what can be learned from others who have been called upon to make hard choices. You will find Hard Call divided into Six Major theme sections. 1. Awareness 2. Foresight 3. Timing 4. Confidence 5. Humility 6. Inspiration Rather than giving you his version of the story in each lesson, McCain and co-author Mark Salter let you the reader come to your own conclusion. It is a book that on first impression may seem a little thin, but in the days following you will find much to think about and reflect upon. Cheers!

Yes, I know it probably serves his political career to co-write the books he does, but this is the second time I've read one of McCain's collaborations (the other was Character Is Destiny) and once again I'm impressed by what I read. Be assured that nowhere in Hard Call is there a divisive political message; no place is there anything that could be called a clear-cut campaign commercial for McCain `08. What McCain and Salter have done is celebrate acts of personal courage on behalf of figures from recent and more distant history, and they've done it in an inspiring way. Once upon a time stories like these were known to Americans great and small and were the cornerstone of civics classes mandatory at virtually all schools in America, but no longer: and our culture is the worse for that. Telling tales of peacemakers who risked it all, and warriors who saved democracy, of capitalists whose actions benefited millions, to inventors who stood true to idealistic dreams in the face of scorn, these authors have given us examples of occasions when individualism and tenacity combined with sheer bravery to achieve what was best, and what was right. Concentrating on six qualities that constitute the best path in decision making, and emphasizing each in due course, McCain and Salter have given us a book that's as enjoyable to read as it is enlightening and inspiring. I hope to see it on the best seller lists for a long time to come.

For the first time in memory, the hyperbole, on the inside of the book cover jacket, was less, than actually provided in the book! The jacket preview, mentioned Branch Rickey, Jackie Robinson, Winston Churchill, Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin, Gertrude Ederle, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Abraham Lincoln. Yet, unbelievably, there are many more, astounding, historical figures, chronicled in this poignant, absorbing, trip through history. The author's, zero in on six qualities, that they feel influence the best decisions: Awareness, timing, foresight, confidence, humility and inspiration. Though that might be evident, in the historical situations set forth in this book, I feel, the author's, are being a bit reticent, in not openly stating, how much more information they provide, on these amazing subjects. The book is divided into six sections. One for each of the qualities listed above. Within those sections, the individual historical characters are divided, and I purposely have not used the phrase, chapters. Because chapters wouldn't do justice, to what I personally, would call "mini-biographies". Some of the characters not mentioned above, include: Marshall Field, Alexander Graham Bell, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, King Gillette, Robert Goddard, Werner von Braun, and more. The writing style is so well done, that the reader, many times, feels like he is the proverbial "fly on the wall", during worldwide, historical events. There are many amazing little tid-bits, or sidelights, to history, that add to your reading enjoyment. A few examples: Did you know that two other men had invented, what was needed to create the telephone, before Alexander Graham Bell? One didn't think it was that big a deal, and said: "While this is very interesting scientifically, it has no commercial value." And Alexander Graham Bell, beat the other inventor, to the patent office by a few hours. Did you know that by the late 1870's Western Union was the largest corporation in the country? Did you know that Russia and the United States almost committed to the abolition of all nuclear weapons, if only "ONE" word was omitted, and Russia refused! "One lousy word," Reagan later lamented. Again, there are many more, unique moments in time, capsulated to perfection, by the authors. One other shining light, in this successfully, ambitious book, is the ability to crystalize, the epic character's, like a fine piece of shimmering jewelry, to whit: IN DESCRIBING MENACHEM BEGIN AND ANWAR SADAT: "They were warriors who unapologetically sanctioned violence in service to their causes. They had no blooodlust, but no doubts either over decisions they had made to make war, to sacrifice human life. They neither wanted to nor could have escaped the memories of their pasts. Both men had taken risks to fight for their countries, and both men perceived in the events of their time the moments when peace became possible and when it became their responsibility to take risks to achieve it. They share