Worth the Fighting for: A Memoir

After reading his other memoir "Faith of my Fathers," I was given "Worth the Fighting For" as a gift. And what a gift it turned out to be! Senator John McCain proves that he is truly one of the great All-American heroes of our time. This memoir is honest, entertaining, and enlightening. By including the biographies of individuals McCain admired, we gain even better insight into the way John McCain's mind works. We begin to understand his motivations, his aspirations, and above all, his values. I am almost startled by how TRUTHFUL he is in approaching the challenges and obstacles in his life (running the gamut from his first bid for congress, the Keating Five Scandal, the run for President, and his Campaign Finance Reform movement.)What a life he's led!I could not have come up with a better title for his work ("Worth the Fighting For"). Senator McCain very clearly demonstrates what he believes are the most important values integral to being a public servant and an American. I read this memoir with a pencil, because I found myself underlining so many moving and inspirational passages in his work. Although I don't share the same political views as McCain, I can't help but feel an awesome sense of admiration for this man and his accomplishments. His memoir moves past political debates and dialogue...to examining and understanding our deeper core beliefs. My absolute favorite chapters were the ones describing his bid for the Presidency and his efforts in Campaign Finance reform. However, all his biographical sketches were informative and fascinating. Another perk of reading his work, is getting a more personal opinion of the many "famous" elected officials running our nation--it's interesting to think why he either likes/dislikes these individuals.An excellent work. Definitely pick this one up!

Enjoyed hearing the audio version of WORTH THE FIGHTING FOR: A MEMOIR by John McCain with Mark Salter (his administrative assistant) . . . McCain did the narration, and thathad a lot to do with why I liked it so much . . . it felt that he wasspeaking to me directly . . . I also got to know much more aboutMcCain's career after his Vietnam captivity . . . he pulls nopunches, talking about his friendship with John Tower and thesubsequent babble over Tower's nomination for defense secretary . . . similarly, he revisits the "Keating Five" affair thatnearly wrecked his career in the early 1990s . . . yet both mostamazing and refreshing was his candid admission that he lied during his 2000 run for the presidency . . . when asked aboutthe Confederate flag, he first did not tell the truth about his background . . . he then compounded this mistake by not divulging how he really felt about the subject.Yet that said, I think the following quote from the book provides insight into what John McCain is all about: "A rebel without a cause is just a punk. Whatever you're called--rebel, unorthodox, nonconformist,radical--it's all self-indulgence without a good cause to give youmeaning."It got me thinking that I'd give serious consideration to voting forhim should he ever decide to run again. . . however, it is unlikelythat he will be given the opportunity--much to my loss butto Arizona's continued gain.

While there are many politicians who profess to be uncontrollable mavericks who vote strictly based upon their conscience, there are few who do so in actuality. John McCain is one of these few rare creatures that are slowly growing extinct in a political climate that readily denounces instead of encouraging political reform and true representation of one's constituency. As the noble McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform is pondered by the Supreme Court for its supposed unconstitutionality and concurrently eviscerated by machine politicians such as Mitch McConnell, John McCain continues his admirably idealistic and iconoclastic approach to political reform: It's worth the fighting for.As the vast multitude of Senators surreptitiously sneak in pork barrel earmarks that waste taxpayers billions of dollars per year, McCain espouses a line item veto - where the President can eliminate such wasteful expenditures while still signing the bill into law. McCain is loath to the inherent corruption and undue influence that soft money has effected upon the election process under the auspices of ostensibly independent ads on the eve of elections. Corruption, pork barrel politics, dishonesty, apathy, and anti-Americanism are all anathema to the most distinguished and honorable Senator in our great country - John McCain. I highly recommend this memoir. Just as McCain does so commendably with his politics, he has put his heart into it as only he can.

When I got this book I hadn't heard anything about it, and what I loved so much about Faith of My Fathers was the family history. While I enjoy reading McCain's self-narrated adventures, my favorite part of his first book was his perspective on his father's and grandfather's service. I feared this book would be more self-indulgent. To my pleasant surprise, here McCain tells us about his other, non-relative heroes, and the results are as good as Faith of My Fathers. He also details the Keating Five scandal and his bid for the presidency, and his attitude is self-deprecating and occasionally regretful. McCain is still one to keep an eye on in politics - he's bound to keep stirring things up for years to come.

Having already read Faith of My Fathers, I was eager to read these additional memoirs and surprised, frankly, by the nature and extent of what often seem to be McCain's self-doubts. They have more to do with his political strategies and tactics than with his values. No reasonable person questions his fervent patriotism. He loves his country and takes great (and justifiable) pride in the fact that he has served it so faithfully as a naval officer and then as an elected public official. Perhaps "regrets" is more accurate than "self-doubts." As McCain himself acknowledges, he has been since his childhood a maverick, possessing what is often referred to as an "attitude." His physical courage is well-documented. But there are legitimate disagreements about his personality. For example, is he stubborn or does he have non-negotiable principles? Is he hot tempered or passionate? Is he impatient or eager to get results? (My hunch is that McCain would say "Yes" to all of the above.) Inevitably, memoirs are both selective and subjective and this volume is no exception. I wish McCain had shared more about his "take" on various political campaigns, especially his when seeking the Presidential nomination of his party. I also wish he had revealed more about his involvement with Keating. However, I am grateful for what he does provide. I have no doubt McCain wrote this book. Its tone and diction are wholly consistent with his public statements and appearances. I am among those who are weary of political correctness when it "homogenizes" political dialogue. McCain's direct and candid voice needs to be heard. With a Republican in the White House and with a Republican majority in both the Senate and House, perhaps some of the reforms which McCain seeks (notably that of campaign finance) will eventually be achieved. One final point: His recent appearance on Saturday Night Live suggests a self-deprecating sense of humor which I hope he will cultivate. Who knows? Perhaps inspired by Mark Twain and Will Rogers, McCain will now wage those battles "worth the fighting for" with a wit few other public officials seem to possess.