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The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations
In this candid new political memoir from Senator John McCain, an American hero reflects on his life—and what matters most.
“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here. Maybe I’ll have another five years. Maybe, with the advances in oncology, they’ll find new treatments for my cancer that will extend my life. Maybe I’ll be gone before you read this. My predicament is, well, rather unpredictable. But I’m prepared for either contingency, or at least I’m getting prepared. I have some things I’d like to take care of first, some work that needs finishing, and some people I need to see. And I want to talk to my fellow Americans a little more if I may.”
So writes John McCain in this inspiring, moving, frank, and deeply personal memoir. Written while confronting a mortal illness, McCain looks back with appreciation on his years in the Senate, his historic 2008 campaign for the presidency against Barack Obama, and his crusades on behalf of democracy and human rights in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Always the fighter, McCain attacks the “spurious nationalism” and political polarization afflicting American policy. He makes an impassioned case for democratic internationalism and bi-partisanship. He tells stories of his most satisfying moments of public service, including his work with another giant of the Senate, Edward M. Kennedy. Senator McCain recalls his disagreements with several presidents, and minces no words in his objections to some of President Trump’s statements and policies. At the same time, he offers a positive vision of America that looks beyond the Trump presidency.
The Restless Wave is John McCain at his best.
“I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here. Maybe I’ll have another five years. Maybe, with the advances in oncology, they’ll find new treatments for my cancer that will extend my life. Maybe I’ll be gone before you read this. My predicament is, well, rather unpredictable. But I’m prepared for either contingency, or at least I’m getting prepared. I have some things I’d like to take care of first, some work that needs finishing, and some people I need to see. And I want to talk to my fellow Americans a little more if I may.”
So writes John McCain in this inspiring, moving, frank, and deeply personal memoir. Written while confronting a mortal illness, McCain looks back with appreciation on his years in the Senate, his historic 2008 campaign for the presidency against Barack Obama, and his crusades on behalf of democracy and human rights in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Always the fighter, McCain attacks the “spurious nationalism” and political polarization afflicting American policy. He makes an impassioned case for democratic internationalism and bi-partisanship. He tells stories of his most satisfying moments of public service, including his work with another giant of the Senate, Edward M. Kennedy. Senator McCain recalls his disagreements with several presidents, and minces no words in his objections to some of President Trump’s statements and policies. At the same time, he offers a positive vision of America that looks beyond the Trump presidency.
The Restless Wave is John McCain at his best.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2018
About the author
John McCain
103 books110 followersJohn Sidney McCain III was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death. He was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election, which he lost to Barack Obama.
McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and followed his father and grandfather—both four-star admirals—into the U.S. Navy. He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he was almost killed in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. While McCain was on a bombing mission during Operation Rolling Thunder over Hanoi in October 1967, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer. The wounds that he sustained during the war left him with lifelong physical disabilities. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he entered politics. In 1982, McCain was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms. He entered the U.S. Senate in 1987 and easily won reelection five times, the last time in 2016.
While generally adhering to conservative principles, McCain also had a media reputation as a "maverick" for his willingness to disagree with his party on certain issues. After being investigated and largely exonerated in a political influence scandal of the 1980s as a member of the Keating Five, he made campaign finance reform one of his signature concerns, which eventually resulted in passage of the McCain–Feingold Act in 2002. He was also known for his work in the 1990s to restore diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and for his belief that the Iraq War should have been fought to a successful conclusion. McCain chaired the Senate Commerce Committee and opposed pork barrel spending. He belonged to the bipartisan "Gang of 14" which played a key role in alleviating a crisis over judicial nominations.
McCain entered the race for the Republican nomination for President in 2000, but he lost a heated primary season contest to Governor George W. Bush of Texas. He secured the nomination in 2008 after coming back from early reversals, but was defeated by Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the general election, losing by a 365–173 electoral college margin. He subsequently adopted more orthodox conservative stances and attitudes and largely opposed actions of the Obama administration, especially in regard to foreign policy matters. By 2013, however, he had become a key figure in the Senate for negotiating deals on certain issues in an otherwise partisan environment. In 2015, McCain became Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In 2017, he reduced his role in the Senate after a diagnosis of brain cancer. He died at the age of 81 on August 25, 2018.
McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and followed his father and grandfather—both four-star admirals—into the U.S. Navy. He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he was almost killed in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. While McCain was on a bombing mission during Operation Rolling Thunder over Hanoi in October 1967, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer. The wounds that he sustained during the war left him with lifelong physical disabilities. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he entered politics. In 1982, McCain was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms. He entered the U.S. Senate in 1987 and easily won reelection five times, the last time in 2016.
While generally adhering to conservative principles, McCain also had a media reputation as a "maverick" for his willingness to disagree with his party on certain issues. After being investigated and largely exonerated in a political influence scandal of the 1980s as a member of the Keating Five, he made campaign finance reform one of his signature concerns, which eventually resulted in passage of the McCain–Feingold Act in 2002. He was also known for his work in the 1990s to restore diplomatic relations with Vietnam, and for his belief that the Iraq War should have been fought to a successful conclusion. McCain chaired the Senate Commerce Committee and opposed pork barrel spending. He belonged to the bipartisan "Gang of 14" which played a key role in alleviating a crisis over judicial nominations.
McCain entered the race for the Republican nomination for President in 2000, but he lost a heated primary season contest to Governor George W. Bush of Texas. He secured the nomination in 2008 after coming back from early reversals, but was defeated by Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the general election, losing by a 365–173 electoral college margin. He subsequently adopted more orthodox conservative stances and attitudes and largely opposed actions of the Obama administration, especially in regard to foreign policy matters. By 2013, however, he had become a key figure in the Senate for negotiating deals on certain issues in an otherwise partisan environment. In 2015, McCain became Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. In 2017, he reduced his role in the Senate after a diagnosis of brain cancer. He died at the age of 81 on August 25, 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 625 reviews
June 28, 2018
I didn't grow up in a political household, politics, world views were rarely discussed. At least not in front of us children. Remember my mom swooning over the Kennedy's like many parents. That may be why I don't really affiliate with any political party. I tend to vote the issues and the person, their characters, their experience. In this way over the years I have come to admire John McCain. I didn't agree with all his views, all his stances, but I did recognize his grace, his strength, his integrity, his love for his job and his country, the people. He is now fighting a battle that may be his last, and the words in this book is what he wants to impart to those remaining. I knew I had to read them.
His book covers much, his career, his positions on various issues, leaders and the decisions he agreed and disagreed with, his family, his feelings, his diagnosis, and his hopes for the future, even if he is not there to see them. They are not written particularly well, but they are written with honesty, and wisdom. They are touching and stirring in their simplicity. The likes of men that this in our government, men who dedicate themselves to public service because they feel they can make a difference, not for vainglory, but for love of country, is near its end. The old vangaurd, I believe they call McCain, the lion of the Senate, is being replaced with people with little or no political experience, with millionaires and billionaires that can now buy our highest offices, at a state and federal level.
How can the country I live in still be considered a democracy? I fear when these elder stateman are gone, so too is the wisdom, the caring, and the dedication they provided.
His own words, "Above all else, we must stand in solidarity with the imprisoned, the silenced, the tortured, and the murdered because we are a country with a conscience."
I fear Senator McCain even before you leave this Earth, we are no longer that country. I want to thank you for your long service, and can do nothing but wish there were more men and women with a conscience leading our country today.
His book covers much, his career, his positions on various issues, leaders and the decisions he agreed and disagreed with, his family, his feelings, his diagnosis, and his hopes for the future, even if he is not there to see them. They are not written particularly well, but they are written with honesty, and wisdom. They are touching and stirring in their simplicity. The likes of men that this in our government, men who dedicate themselves to public service because they feel they can make a difference, not for vainglory, but for love of country, is near its end. The old vangaurd, I believe they call McCain, the lion of the Senate, is being replaced with people with little or no political experience, with millionaires and billionaires that can now buy our highest offices, at a state and federal level.
How can the country I live in still be considered a democracy? I fear when these elder stateman are gone, so too is the wisdom, the caring, and the dedication they provided.
His own words, "Above all else, we must stand in solidarity with the imprisoned, the silenced, the tortured, and the murdered because we are a country with a conscience."
I fear Senator McCain even before you leave this Earth, we are no longer that country. I want to thank you for your long service, and can do nothing but wish there were more men and women with a conscience leading our country today.
May 27, 2018
It was a memoir. He didn't shit on anyone and he didn't do a tell all. He wrote about his experiences around the world, he had nice things to say about Sarah Palin, he had not very nice things to say about Obama's decisions (understandable), and not very much to say about Trump (surprising). If you were a fan of John McCain then you will enjoy this book. I was a Republican since the 1970's until 2000 (then I became a Democrat) and I loved McCain until he made Palin his VP pick in 2007, but after reading this book I am back to having a fondness for him again. He is a good man, he has done so many good things and I wish all Republicans and some Democrats were more like him.
January 15, 2020
«Хто я такий, щоб скаржитися? Я найщасливіша людина на Землі»
Джон Маккейн прожив довге і цікаве життя. Він був військовим, бранцем, сенатором, кандидатом у президенти США і просто гарним другом України. Він спілкувався із найвідомішими диктаторами планети, неодноразово дивився буквально в очі смерті та більш за все цінував свободу, яку він неодмінно пов’язував із батьківщиною.
У своїй останній, сьомій книжці, Маккейн розповідає про безліч подій, які й складаються у буремну хвилю його життя. Це не послідовний хронологічний допис, але й не перескакування з теми на тему чи з рока у рік. Це плавна розповідь про себе, життя, друзів та ворогів, перемоги й поразки.
Маккейн згадує про прапор, який шив у в’єтнамському полоні його товариш. Про свою запеклість до терористів. Про хлопців з Тунісу, які намагалися змінити Близький Схід, про їх захоплення Цукербергом (адже саме його дітище допомагало їм робити революцію) і те, як Марк їх проігнорував. Про свої зустрічі із Сергієм Лавровим, який, за влучною характеристикою Маккейна «що дихне – то брехне». Він також пише багато про Путіна, гнілостну імперську душу якого розкусив чи не із найпершої зустрічі. Але й тут залишається трішки обманутим, бо вважає, що Путін заплатив за свої злочини тим, що залишив власну країну нерозвинутою. Ну так, як і будь-яка високоосвічена людина, Маккейн всіх міряє по собі, тож гадає, що Путіну взагалі є діло до країни.
Він також описує свою зустріч із російським адміралом, який саме змушений був покидати базу Балтійського флоту РФ в Естонії. Те, що він там побачив, його ошелешило: «…яку росіяни покидали. Точніше кажучи, вони драпали. Затоплювали патрульні катери на пристані. Зносили будівлі. Виривали кабелі з землі. Забирали з собою все цінне, що могли, і знищували все, чого не могли забрати». Знайома картина, чи не правда?
Маккейн пише про свою президентську кампанію та відносини із суперниками під час перегонів та партнерами у решту часів. Із сумом та глибоким розчаруванням він розповідає, яким виявився сциклом Обама у випадку із Україною, коли не надав зброї. І у випадку із Асадом, коли той застосував зарин проти мирних мешканців, тим самим перетнувши червону лінію, окреслену Обамою, у відповідь на що Обама відмовився від власних слів щодо покарання та серйозного обмеження можливостей Асада. Декілька разів Маккейн наголошує на тому, що перезавантаження відносин із Росією, яке ініціював Обама, знявши санкції, що були вже накладені на рашу, були чи не найбільшою помилкою в історичному процесі не тільки США та Росії, а взагалі цілого світу, і що наслідки тієї поблажливості Білого дому планета ще буде довго викашлювати.
Маккейн пише про свою палку підтримку розширення НАТО на схід за рахунок тих країн, що вийшли з совку безпосередньо чи з-під його впливу. Бо саме НАТО на думку Маккейна є запорукою того, що Путін не наважиться повернути пів-Європи у неокомуняцьке пекло. «Попереду нас чекає довгий шлях, доки американці усвідомлять, що мета Путіна – це не поразка якогось конкретного кандидата чи партії. Він прагне перемогти Захід», пише Маккейн, згадуючи про те, як раша вже втрутилася у вибори у США і неодмінно буде робити це щоразу, якщо їй не надавати по мордасам.
Особливе місце у його розповіді займає Україна. «Якби мені сказали, що з усього тривалого життя я можу взяти з собою лише кілька спогадів, то ця ніч була б серед них». Це він пише про ніч 14 грудня 2013 року, коли він з шостого поверху Будинку профспілок споглядав Майдан із сотнями тисяч людей, що тримали смартфони-ліхтарики у руках. Із гумором він розповідає про те, як зустрічався із Януковичем у ті буремні дні, намагаючись переконати того підписати угоду про євроінтеграцію, у відповідь на що Янукович більше години тупо нив й скаржився, прискіпливо перераховуючи усі «образи, заподіяні йому Європою, і серед них – я не жартую – був футбольний матч, під час якого угорський арбітр не зарахував гол української збірної і вони програла».
Але головним лейтмотивом усієї розповіді є його патріотизм. Маккейн пише, про те, що громадянином Америки може стати кожний, що це країна здійснення мрій і створена вона саме мігрантами, про що постійно забуває Трамп, тим самим намагаючись зламати самі підвалини США.
У цій тоненькій (на перший погляд) книжці є ще безліч тем та подій, про які згадує чи розповідає уперше Маккейн, бо насправді у ній більше 400 сторінок. Адже Vivat вирішило обрати практично папірусну товщину паперу для свого видання, з-за чого книжка здається на один-два вечори, ан нєт, затриматися із нею доведеться трішки довше.
Надзвичайно цікавий та надпоживний томик. Strongly recommended, ось просто STRONGLY!
Джон Маккейн прожив довге і цікаве життя. Він був військовим, бранцем, сенатором, кандидатом у президенти США і просто гарним другом України. Він спілкувався із найвідомішими диктаторами планети, неодноразово дивився буквально в очі смерті та більш за все цінував свободу, яку він неодмінно пов’язував із батьківщиною.
У своїй останній, сьомій книжці, Маккейн розповідає про безліч подій, які й складаються у буремну хвилю його життя. Це не послідовний хронологічний допис, але й не перескакування з теми на тему чи з рока у рік. Це плавна розповідь про себе, життя, друзів та ворогів, перемоги й поразки.
Маккейн згадує про прапор, який шив у в’єтнамському полоні його товариш. Про свою запеклість до терористів. Про хлопців з Тунісу, які намагалися змінити Близький Схід, про їх захоплення Цукербергом (адже саме його дітище допомагало їм робити революцію) і те, як Марк їх проігнорував. Про свої зустрічі із Сергієм Лавровим, який, за влучною характеристикою Маккейна «що дихне – то брехне». Він також пише багато про Путіна, гнілостну імперську душу якого розкусив чи не із найпершої зустрічі. Але й тут залишається трішки обманутим, бо вважає, що Путін заплатив за свої злочини тим, що залишив власну країну нерозвинутою. Ну так, як і будь-яка високоосвічена людина, Маккейн всіх міряє по собі, тож гадає, що Путіну взагалі є діло до країни.
Він також описує свою зустріч із російським адміралом, який саме змушений був покидати базу Балтійського флоту РФ в Естонії. Те, що він там побачив, його ошелешило: «…яку росіяни покидали. Точніше кажучи, вони драпали. Затоплювали патрульні катери на пристані. Зносили будівлі. Виривали кабелі з землі. Забирали з собою все цінне, що могли, і знищували все, чого не могли забрати». Знайома картина, чи не правда?
Маккейн пише про свою президентську кампанію та відносини із суперниками під час перегонів та партнерами у решту часів. Із сумом та глибоким розчаруванням він розповідає, яким виявився сциклом Обама у випадку із Україною, коли не надав зброї. І у випадку із Асадом, коли той застосував зарин проти мирних мешканців, тим самим перетнувши червону лінію, окреслену Обамою, у відповідь на що Обама відмовився від власних слів щодо покарання та серйозного обмеження можливостей Асада. Декілька разів Маккейн наголошує на тому, що перезавантаження відносин із Росією, яке ініціював Обама, знявши санкції, що були вже накладені на рашу, були чи не найбільшою помилкою в історичному процесі не тільки США та Росії, а взагалі цілого світу, і що наслідки тієї поблажливості Білого дому планета ще буде довго викашлювати.
Маккейн пише про свою палку підтримку розширення НАТО на схід за рахунок тих країн, що вийшли з совку безпосередньо чи з-під його впливу. Бо саме НАТО на думку Маккейна є запорукою того, що Путін не наважиться повернути пів-Європи у неокомуняцьке пекло. «Попереду нас чекає довгий шлях, доки американці усвідомлять, що мета Путіна – це не поразка якогось конкретного кандидата чи партії. Він прагне перемогти Захід», пише Маккейн, згадуючи про те, як раша вже втрутилася у вибори у США і неодмінно буде робити це щоразу, якщо їй не надавати по мордасам.
Особливе місце у його розповіді займає Україна. «Якби мені сказали, що з усього тривалого життя я можу взяти з собою лише кілька спогадів, то ця ніч була б серед них». Це він пише про ніч 14 грудня 2013 року, коли він з шостого поверху Будинку профспілок споглядав Майдан із сотнями тисяч людей, що тримали смартфони-ліхтарики у руках. Із гумором він розповідає про те, як зустрічався із Януковичем у ті буремні дні, намагаючись переконати того підписати угоду про євроінтеграцію, у відповідь на що Янукович більше години тупо нив й скаржився, прискіпливо перераховуючи усі «образи, заподіяні йому Європою, і серед них – я не жартую – був футбольний матч, під час якого угорський арбітр не зарахував гол української збірної і вони програла».
Але головним лейтмотивом усієї розповіді є його патріотизм. Маккейн пише, про те, що громадянином Америки може стати кожний, що це країна здійснення мрій і створена вона саме мігрантами, про що постійно забуває Трамп, тим самим намагаючись зламати самі підвалини США.
У цій тоненькій (на перший погляд) книжці є ще безліч тем та подій, про які згадує чи розповідає уперше Маккейн, бо насправді у ній більше 400 сторінок. Адже Vivat вирішило обрати практично папірусну товщину паперу для свого видання, з-за чого книжка здається на один-два вечори, ан нєт, затриматися із нею доведеться трішки довше.
Надзвичайно цікавий та надпоживний томик. Strongly recommended, ось просто STRONGLY!
June 3, 2018
John McCain is truly a great man and a true American Hero in many realms. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his thoughts, his approach and his urgent plea for principles above personalities. His vision of governance is amazingly aligned with the founders and other great political thinkers. As a student governance in my sixth decade I can unequivocally say John McCain has the voice we should all hear. Politicians and citizens need to read this book and internalize it, act in accordance and preach it like he does. HIs maturity of thought and approach are tempered by humility and fed by passion. He is a model for all Americans, all citizens everywhere. I have differed from him on many policies, having been on the progressive side of the Democratic party, but, this alters my opinion of him and his ideals not one iota.
I was born and raised in Northeastern Arizona (Navajo County) and particularly appreciated his few references to Arizona. I feel a connection to him that transcends politics, a heartfelt gratitude
I was born and raised in Northeastern Arizona (Navajo County) and particularly appreciated his few references to Arizona. I feel a connection to him that transcends politics, a heartfelt gratitude
Read
August 28, 2018I do believe that John McCain has managed to put these two sentences together in his 'Farewell Speech' without the slightest trace of irony.
"We have helped liberate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. We have acquired great wealth and power in the process."
From the horse's mouth.
"We have helped liberate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. We have acquired great wealth and power in the process."
From the horse's mouth.
November 2, 2019
I listened to this one. It had an introduction and Epilogue read by John McCain, and the chapters were read by Beau Bridges, who was very good. Jeff Bridges would have been good too, just saying. Both voices sort of remind me of McCain's raspiness.
First of all John McCain's middle name could have been "More Troops," but that rarely tainted my overall fondness of him. The memoir exemplifies his basic goodness, his deep love of country, country over party, his love of humanity including immigrants, and his general willingness to work across party lines -- to reach compromise, a dirty word these days. There was a lot of name dropping. An entire chapter devoted to his working relationship with Ted Kennedy. His many travels with Susan Collins, Hillary Clinton, Lieberman, and of course, Lindsay Graham who had a very close friendship with McCain even though I feel they couldn't be more different in so far as the words I would use to describe each of them. I guess they made each other laugh. OK. The first chapter detailed his run for President with very little said about Sarah Palin. He was not one to throw stones, against Palin, Obama, anyone really, with only a few criticisms of the current occupant of the White House.
Some of the historical memories went on too long for me. Where most books I listen to at 1.2 speed, this one I turned up to 1.4. I was then able to listen to all of it and not fall asleep in the parts that were less interesting. It's one I do recommend, with a warning that you might (or might not) find it a little dry at times. But an excellent reminder that we can do better.
First of all John McCain's middle name could have been "More Troops," but that rarely tainted my overall fondness of him. The memoir exemplifies his basic goodness, his deep love of country, country over party, his love of humanity including immigrants, and his general willingness to work across party lines -- to reach compromise, a dirty word these days. There was a lot of name dropping. An entire chapter devoted to his working relationship with Ted Kennedy. His many travels with Susan Collins, Hillary Clinton, Lieberman, and of course, Lindsay Graham who had a very close friendship with McCain even though I feel they couldn't be more different in so far as the words I would use to describe each of them. I guess they made each other laugh. OK. The first chapter detailed his run for President with very little said about Sarah Palin. He was not one to throw stones, against Palin, Obama, anyone really, with only a few criticisms of the current occupant of the White House.
Some of the historical memories went on too long for me. Where most books I listen to at 1.2 speed, this one I turned up to 1.4. I was then able to listen to all of it and not fall asleep in the parts that were less interesting. It's one I do recommend, with a warning that you might (or might not) find it a little dry at times. But an excellent reminder that we can do better.
June 22, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. The book covers his campaign for presidency to the current time. I found some of his observations and comments about people such as Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Obama, both Bushes and high military command most interesting. Toward the end of the book he also had some comments about Trump. In this book what came through to me loud and clear was that McCain’s priority is the country and all else is secondary. Prior to reading this book I had read “Faith of My Father’s A Family Memoir” by McCain; doing this was most helpful in understanding McCain in this current book. I highly recommend this book.
I read the book as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is just over fourteen hours. McCain read the forward but the actor, Beau Bridges, narrated the book.
I read the book as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is just over fourteen hours. McCain read the forward but the actor, Beau Bridges, narrated the book.
June 23, 2018
I love political memoirs, whether from people I agree with or disagree with, like or don’t like, voted for or voted against. Considering the arc of his life, with much to be revered even by those with differing views, I thought this would be a winner.
It is a powerful historic resource given the incredible quantity of valuable information it presents based on the first-hand experiences McCain had with so many issues of global importance. And it raises vital questions, such as whether the U.S. has really learned anything at all from the Vietnam experience. I could argue, from the book, that it hasn’t. The problem is that McCain doesn’t argue one way or the other even though he’s in a prime position to develop such arguments.
I think this may be more of a failure of editing than writing. McCain has enough on his plate and shouldn’t be expected to be a polished author. He needed good feedback along the way that told him it was too much a recitation of just-the-facts without nearly enough perspective. That’s the editor’s job.
It is a powerful historic resource given the incredible quantity of valuable information it presents based on the first-hand experiences McCain had with so many issues of global importance. And it raises vital questions, such as whether the U.S. has really learned anything at all from the Vietnam experience. I could argue, from the book, that it hasn’t. The problem is that McCain doesn’t argue one way or the other even though he’s in a prime position to develop such arguments.
I think this may be more of a failure of editing than writing. McCain has enough on his plate and shouldn’t be expected to be a polished author. He needed good feedback along the way that told him it was too much a recitation of just-the-facts without nearly enough perspective. That’s the editor’s job.
July 26, 2018
Politically speaking, John McCain and I have often been on opposite sides of the fence. That has not kept me from appreciating what an intelligent and dedicated man he is. Having read The Restless Wave, I feel solid in that conviction in addition to realizing his great love for the United States and all her people.
McCain has penned a biography that brings a back story to selected periods/ventures from his run for the presidency in 2008 to his strong feelings about the need for torture methods to adhere to the Geneva Conventions to his insights on situations in the Middle East and more.
I found his voice to be down-to-earth and full of the spirit that has driven McCain his entire political career.
McCain has penned a biography that brings a back story to selected periods/ventures from his run for the presidency in 2008 to his strong feelings about the need for torture methods to adhere to the Geneva Conventions to his insights on situations in the Middle East and more.
I found his voice to be down-to-earth and full of the spirit that has driven McCain his entire political career.
Want to Read
May 12, 2018Here's an edited excerpt, published as an essay by the WSJ: ‘Vladimir Putin Is an Evil Man’
https://www.wsj.com/articles/john-mcc...
"Three months later, in Putin’s first weeks as prime minister [1999], bomb explosions destroyed apartment buildings in three Russian cities, including Moscow. Putin used the incident as grounds for starting a second Chechen war and ordered the bombing of Grozny, Chechnya’s capital. The inhumanity of the Russian assault was stunning. No caution, no discrimination, no trials, brutal and merciless: Just kill people, fighters and civilians, and don’t worry about the difference."
"Vladimir Putin is an evil man, and he is intent on evil deeds, which include the destruction of the liberal world order that the United States has led and that has brought more stability, prosperity and freedom to humankind than has ever existed in history. He is exploiting the openness of our society and the increasingly acrimonious political divisions consuming us. He wants to widen those divides and paralyze us from responding to his aggression. He meddled in one election, and he will do it again because it worked and because he has not been made to stop.
Putin’s goal isn’t to defeat a candidate or a party. He means to defeat the West."
https://www.wsj.com/articles/john-mcc...
"Three months later, in Putin’s first weeks as prime minister [1999], bomb explosions destroyed apartment buildings in three Russian cities, including Moscow. Putin used the incident as grounds for starting a second Chechen war and ordered the bombing of Grozny, Chechnya’s capital. The inhumanity of the Russian assault was stunning. No caution, no discrimination, no trials, brutal and merciless: Just kill people, fighters and civilians, and don’t worry about the difference."
"Vladimir Putin is an evil man, and he is intent on evil deeds, which include the destruction of the liberal world order that the United States has led and that has brought more stability, prosperity and freedom to humankind than has ever existed in history. He is exploiting the openness of our society and the increasingly acrimonious political divisions consuming us. He wants to widen those divides and paralyze us from responding to his aggression. He meddled in one election, and he will do it again because it worked and because he has not been made to stop.
Putin’s goal isn’t to defeat a candidate or a party. He means to defeat the West."
July 13, 2018
The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations by John McCain and Mark Salter
“The Restless Wave” is a candid yet surprisingly understated political memoir from John McCain. No matter what side you are on the political spectrum, McCain’s love of country is undeniable and shines through in what is most likely his last swan song. This frank 416-page book includes the following ten chapters: 1. No Surrender, 2. Country First, 3. About Us, 4. In the Company of Heroes, 5. Arab Spring, 6. Fighting the Good Fight (with and against Ted Kennedy), 7. Nyet (Know Thine Enemy), 8. Know Thyself (Defending the West), 9. Part of the Main (American Exceptionalism), and 10. Regular Order.
Positives:
1. A well-written, candid book.
2. The interesting life and observations of Senator McCain. “All that is attributable to one thing more than any other. I have been restless all my life, even now, as time grows precious.”
3. The book defines the essence of John McCain. “To fear the world we have organized and led for three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is unpatriotic.”
4. Many quotes of wisdom. “We don’t build walls to freedom and opportunity. We tear them down.”
5. Senator McCain is a very credible man with a high degree of patriotism, integrity and sense of care for your fellow human being. Willing to admit the wrongs of the past. “We had gone into Iraq based on faulty intelligence about weapons of mass destruction, and destroyed the odious Saddam Hussein regime.”
6. A wonderful take on immigration. “I wish every American who out of ignorance or worse curses immigrants as criminals or a drain on the country’s resources or a threat to our “culture” could have been there. I would like them to know that immigrants, many of them having entered the country illegally, are making sacrifices for Americans that many Americans would not make for them.”
7. Recounts his presidential campaigns. “Win or lose, I didn’t want anyone ever to have fair grounds to criticize us for resorting to any kind of racist dog whistling. I wanted to win. I wanted to be President. But I, too, recognized the social progress Obama’s candidacy represented, and I didn’t want to impede it by inciting, even with a wink and a nod here and there or with language that had double meanings, the prejudices that have marred our history. I cautioned staff repeatedly, and senior staff reiterated it repeatedly, to steer clear of any communication, formal or informal, or an event or any person that could be interpreted as suggesting race as a reason to vote for me and against Obama.”
8. His views on torture are priceless. “The ultimate victim of torture is the torturer, the one who inflicts pain and suffering at the cost of their humanity.” “But I knew, too, that information extracted by torture is unreliable.”
9. His sense of right and wrong is admirable. “The cruelty of our enemies doesn’t absolve us of this duty. This was never about them. It was about us.”
10. McCain lives for the best usage of military power. “I was convinced that our plan to transfer military responsibilities to the Iraqis was too hasty while our plan to return political control of the country to them was too attenuated, and I began saying so in speeches and interviews.”
11. McCain’s views of Hillary Clinton. “I went to Iraq and Afghanistan in February 2005 with Lindsey and Senators Russ Feingold, Susan Collins, and Hillary Clinton. It was my second experience traveling with Hillary, whose company I enjoyed very much. She was a hardworking and intelligent senator, which wouldn’t surprise anyone to learn. But she is also, contrary to the negative public image promoted by her detractors, very warm, engaging, and considerate in person, and fun.”
12. Some facts are hard to ignore and digest. “As of today, as the Syrian war continues, more than 400,000 people have been killed, many of them civilians. More than five million have fled the country and more than six million have been displaced internally. A hundred years from now, Syria will likely be remembered as one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of the twenty-first century, and an example of human savagery at its most extreme.”
13. He clearly defines his politics. “Not an isolationist, protectionist, immigrant-bashing, scapegoating, get-nothing-useful-done Republican. Not, as I am often dismissed by self-declared “real” conservatives, a RINO, Republican in Name Only. I’m a Reagan Republican, a proponent of lower taxes, less government, free markets, free trade, defense readiness, and democratic internationalism.”
14. Discusses key political issues. “Campaign reform was the central issue of my 2000 campaign. I could see people react favorably to my thesis that campaign reform was a necessary prerequisite to other government reforms, that too much money from too few sources bred a dependency on narrow interests that frequently undermined the national interest.”
15. His love for the Senate and the senators that made it so. “Lesson one: only give your word if you’re sure you can keep it.”
16. The Russians! “I was alarmed by Russian interference in the election. Any loyal American should be. I wanted to make Putin pay a steep price for it, and I worried the incoming administration would not be so inclined. I had strongly disagreed with candidate Trump’s admiration for Vladimir Putin, which I put down to naïveté and a general lack of seriousness about Putin’s antagonism to U.S. interests and values.” “He warned that Putin would never be a reliable partner to the West, that his long-term goal was to reestablish the Soviet empire.”
17. No love lost for Putin. “Putin blamed the Obama administration for fomenting the protests, especially Secretary of State Clinton, who had appropriately stated the administration had “serious concerns about the conduct of the [December] election.” “The Russian people,” she continued, “deserve the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted.”” “Vladimir Putin is an evil man. There is no better word for him. And he is intent on evil deeds, which include the destruction of the liberal world order, its values and its institutions.” “Putin’s interference in our last election achieved all his objectives. He damaged Hillary Clinton’s campaign, but that wasn’t his most important priority. Encouraging our government’s dysfunction, and disaffection and distrust in the polity were his main objectives. He sees evidence of his success every day in our polarization and gridlock.”
18. A great defender of human rights and democracy. “Martin Luther King, Jr., had called it “the fierce urgency of now,” the transformational moment when aspirations for freedom must be realized, when the voice of a movement can’t be stilled, when the heart’s demands will not stand further delay.””
19. Keen sense for the betterment of humanity. “If we don’t accept that the nature of a regime shapes its conduct, we risk profoundly misreading international politics. We expect better behavior from despots than we have reason to. We miss what can be the most transformational force for good in the world: the anger of oppressed people, and their hope, their imperishable hope for change.” “There is nothing so rewarding as contributing, even if only in the most modest way, to the defense of another human being’s dignity, all the more so when the person is otherwise a stranger to you.”
20. Makes suggestions on how to improve politics in America. “If a candidate modestly promises to build relationships on both sides of the aisle, to form alliances to promote their ideas, to respect other points of view, and split differences where possible to make measurable progress on national problems, ask that candidate to run for President. Their humility and honesty commend them for the job.”
Negatives:
1. A bit more verbose than I would have liked. At over 400 pages this book will require your time.
2. No supplementary material. I would have liked a timeline, charts or diagrams.
3. Surprisingly tamed. Other than his pure disdain for Putin, McCain was understated.
4. The book is not a smooth page-turner the interest varies from topic to topic.
5. I would have enjoyed more focus on his political views.
In summary, this progressive has much admiration and love for Senator McCain. My politics may differ from McCain but we are on the same wave as it relates to our love for humanity and democracy. I have the utmost respect for this honorable man and wish him the best. If you want to know the man and what drives John McCain read this book, I recommend it!
Further suggestions: “Faith of My Fathers” by the same author, “A Higher Loyalty” by James Comey, “Facts and Fears” by James R. Clapper, “Promise Me, Dad” by Joe Biden, “Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama, “Fire and Fury” by Michael Wolff, “What Happened “ by Hillary Rodham Clinton, “Can It Happen Here?: Authoritarianism in America” by Cass R. Sunstein, “How Democracies Die” by Steven Levitsky.
“The Restless Wave” is a candid yet surprisingly understated political memoir from John McCain. No matter what side you are on the political spectrum, McCain’s love of country is undeniable and shines through in what is most likely his last swan song. This frank 416-page book includes the following ten chapters: 1. No Surrender, 2. Country First, 3. About Us, 4. In the Company of Heroes, 5. Arab Spring, 6. Fighting the Good Fight (with and against Ted Kennedy), 7. Nyet (Know Thine Enemy), 8. Know Thyself (Defending the West), 9. Part of the Main (American Exceptionalism), and 10. Regular Order.
Positives:
1. A well-written, candid book.
2. The interesting life and observations of Senator McCain. “All that is attributable to one thing more than any other. I have been restless all my life, even now, as time grows precious.”
3. The book defines the essence of John McCain. “To fear the world we have organized and led for three-quarters of a century, to abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems is unpatriotic.”
4. Many quotes of wisdom. “We don’t build walls to freedom and opportunity. We tear them down.”
5. Senator McCain is a very credible man with a high degree of patriotism, integrity and sense of care for your fellow human being. Willing to admit the wrongs of the past. “We had gone into Iraq based on faulty intelligence about weapons of mass destruction, and destroyed the odious Saddam Hussein regime.”
6. A wonderful take on immigration. “I wish every American who out of ignorance or worse curses immigrants as criminals or a drain on the country’s resources or a threat to our “culture” could have been there. I would like them to know that immigrants, many of them having entered the country illegally, are making sacrifices for Americans that many Americans would not make for them.”
7. Recounts his presidential campaigns. “Win or lose, I didn’t want anyone ever to have fair grounds to criticize us for resorting to any kind of racist dog whistling. I wanted to win. I wanted to be President. But I, too, recognized the social progress Obama’s candidacy represented, and I didn’t want to impede it by inciting, even with a wink and a nod here and there or with language that had double meanings, the prejudices that have marred our history. I cautioned staff repeatedly, and senior staff reiterated it repeatedly, to steer clear of any communication, formal or informal, or an event or any person that could be interpreted as suggesting race as a reason to vote for me and against Obama.”
8. His views on torture are priceless. “The ultimate victim of torture is the torturer, the one who inflicts pain and suffering at the cost of their humanity.” “But I knew, too, that information extracted by torture is unreliable.”
9. His sense of right and wrong is admirable. “The cruelty of our enemies doesn’t absolve us of this duty. This was never about them. It was about us.”
10. McCain lives for the best usage of military power. “I was convinced that our plan to transfer military responsibilities to the Iraqis was too hasty while our plan to return political control of the country to them was too attenuated, and I began saying so in speeches and interviews.”
11. McCain’s views of Hillary Clinton. “I went to Iraq and Afghanistan in February 2005 with Lindsey and Senators Russ Feingold, Susan Collins, and Hillary Clinton. It was my second experience traveling with Hillary, whose company I enjoyed very much. She was a hardworking and intelligent senator, which wouldn’t surprise anyone to learn. But she is also, contrary to the negative public image promoted by her detractors, very warm, engaging, and considerate in person, and fun.”
12. Some facts are hard to ignore and digest. “As of today, as the Syrian war continues, more than 400,000 people have been killed, many of them civilians. More than five million have fled the country and more than six million have been displaced internally. A hundred years from now, Syria will likely be remembered as one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of the twenty-first century, and an example of human savagery at its most extreme.”
13. He clearly defines his politics. “Not an isolationist, protectionist, immigrant-bashing, scapegoating, get-nothing-useful-done Republican. Not, as I am often dismissed by self-declared “real” conservatives, a RINO, Republican in Name Only. I’m a Reagan Republican, a proponent of lower taxes, less government, free markets, free trade, defense readiness, and democratic internationalism.”
14. Discusses key political issues. “Campaign reform was the central issue of my 2000 campaign. I could see people react favorably to my thesis that campaign reform was a necessary prerequisite to other government reforms, that too much money from too few sources bred a dependency on narrow interests that frequently undermined the national interest.”
15. His love for the Senate and the senators that made it so. “Lesson one: only give your word if you’re sure you can keep it.”
16. The Russians! “I was alarmed by Russian interference in the election. Any loyal American should be. I wanted to make Putin pay a steep price for it, and I worried the incoming administration would not be so inclined. I had strongly disagreed with candidate Trump’s admiration for Vladimir Putin, which I put down to naïveté and a general lack of seriousness about Putin’s antagonism to U.S. interests and values.” “He warned that Putin would never be a reliable partner to the West, that his long-term goal was to reestablish the Soviet empire.”
17. No love lost for Putin. “Putin blamed the Obama administration for fomenting the protests, especially Secretary of State Clinton, who had appropriately stated the administration had “serious concerns about the conduct of the [December] election.” “The Russian people,” she continued, “deserve the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted.”” “Vladimir Putin is an evil man. There is no better word for him. And he is intent on evil deeds, which include the destruction of the liberal world order, its values and its institutions.” “Putin’s interference in our last election achieved all his objectives. He damaged Hillary Clinton’s campaign, but that wasn’t his most important priority. Encouraging our government’s dysfunction, and disaffection and distrust in the polity were his main objectives. He sees evidence of his success every day in our polarization and gridlock.”
18. A great defender of human rights and democracy. “Martin Luther King, Jr., had called it “the fierce urgency of now,” the transformational moment when aspirations for freedom must be realized, when the voice of a movement can’t be stilled, when the heart’s demands will not stand further delay.””
19. Keen sense for the betterment of humanity. “If we don’t accept that the nature of a regime shapes its conduct, we risk profoundly misreading international politics. We expect better behavior from despots than we have reason to. We miss what can be the most transformational force for good in the world: the anger of oppressed people, and their hope, their imperishable hope for change.” “There is nothing so rewarding as contributing, even if only in the most modest way, to the defense of another human being’s dignity, all the more so when the person is otherwise a stranger to you.”
20. Makes suggestions on how to improve politics in America. “If a candidate modestly promises to build relationships on both sides of the aisle, to form alliances to promote their ideas, to respect other points of view, and split differences where possible to make measurable progress on national problems, ask that candidate to run for President. Their humility and honesty commend them for the job.”
Negatives:
1. A bit more verbose than I would have liked. At over 400 pages this book will require your time.
2. No supplementary material. I would have liked a timeline, charts or diagrams.
3. Surprisingly tamed. Other than his pure disdain for Putin, McCain was understated.
4. The book is not a smooth page-turner the interest varies from topic to topic.
5. I would have enjoyed more focus on his political views.
In summary, this progressive has much admiration and love for Senator McCain. My politics may differ from McCain but we are on the same wave as it relates to our love for humanity and democracy. I have the utmost respect for this honorable man and wish him the best. If you want to know the man and what drives John McCain read this book, I recommend it!
Further suggestions: “Faith of My Fathers” by the same author, “A Higher Loyalty” by James Comey, “Facts and Fears” by James R. Clapper, “Promise Me, Dad” by Joe Biden, “Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama, “Fire and Fury” by Michael Wolff, “What Happened “ by Hillary Rodham Clinton, “Can It Happen Here?: Authoritarianism in America” by Cass R. Sunstein, “How Democracies Die” by Steven Levitsky.
November 11, 2018
Senator John McCain has been my political hero for over a quarter of a century. In early November, 2000, I stopped off at an early voting place in Beverly Hills before driving to the airport to go visit my great friend, Frank, in Spain. I waited, with my wife, for a long time in a very long line. After we finally got to vote, my lovely wife asked me, "So who did I vote for?"I replied, I wrote in John McCain's name because neither of the two men on the ballot deserved to be president, in my opinion. It was the first time in my life, that I voted for a person I strongly believed had all the qualifications to be President. Many people simply thought I wasted my vote.
In 2008, I finally got to vote for John McCain for President the old fashion way. I simply punched in his name since he was the Republican nominee. He lost that election to President Obama and in so doing gave one of the greatest concession speeches ever given by a Presidential nominee. He acknowledged that with the election of President Obama our country had finally come a long way. As he said, "It was just over a 100 years ago that an African-American was not even allowed in the White House and today we celebrate the election of the first African-American as our President.
"The Restless Wave" by John McCain and Mark Salter was published shortly before the Senator passed away. It is a wonderful look at a senator who in many ways never stopped being a navy officer, and who put country before party and the ideals of America forefront in the hope that the rest of the world would emulate the great democracy all of us Americans are fortunate to live in.
Mr. McCain reached across party lines all the time, especially when travelling to some of the most dangerous countries in the world whose repressed populace were looking toward America as the symbol of what they hoped to achieve and the hope to have our support. He travelled, along with Lindsey Graham, Joe Lieberman, Hillary Clinton, Russ Feingold, and a host of other democrats and republicans, to places like Epypt, Tunisia, Syria and Iraq during the "Arab Spring" in support of those democratic movements and the Ukraine, while the Russians and Putin were threatening to invade.
Senator McCain, back in Washington, reached across the aisle and worked with his friend Senator Ted Kennedy on immigration reform, campaign finance reform (along with Russ Feingold) and other issues important to all Americans while never losing sight of American ideals and laws and always putting country before all else.
Senator McCain understood that politics do not work without compromise; an idea he stressed throughout this book. He was also a Republican and when asked by Senator Kennedy to join the democratic party he gratuitously refused. Yet, when he ran for President in 2008 he asked Senator Lieberman, a democrat and an independent, if he would consider being his running mate. He felt that by having Mr. Lieberman on the ticket that would help break through the stiffening partisanship that had overtaken Washington.
"The Restless Wave" is a reminder and a guide of why we send people to Washington to represent "we the people." Sadly, far too many of our representatives are so beholden to rich donors and afraid of party bosses that little gets done and, in the end, many of these representatives simply enrich themselves while pretending to care for "we the people." Thankfully, we have been fortunate enough as a nation to have someone as special as Senator McCain. Hopefully, more elected officials will emulate all that Senator McCain stood for and the risks he took to make America the beacon and hope of the world.
In 2008, I finally got to vote for John McCain for President the old fashion way. I simply punched in his name since he was the Republican nominee. He lost that election to President Obama and in so doing gave one of the greatest concession speeches ever given by a Presidential nominee. He acknowledged that with the election of President Obama our country had finally come a long way. As he said, "It was just over a 100 years ago that an African-American was not even allowed in the White House and today we celebrate the election of the first African-American as our President.
"The Restless Wave" by John McCain and Mark Salter was published shortly before the Senator passed away. It is a wonderful look at a senator who in many ways never stopped being a navy officer, and who put country before party and the ideals of America forefront in the hope that the rest of the world would emulate the great democracy all of us Americans are fortunate to live in.
Mr. McCain reached across party lines all the time, especially when travelling to some of the most dangerous countries in the world whose repressed populace were looking toward America as the symbol of what they hoped to achieve and the hope to have our support. He travelled, along with Lindsey Graham, Joe Lieberman, Hillary Clinton, Russ Feingold, and a host of other democrats and republicans, to places like Epypt, Tunisia, Syria and Iraq during the "Arab Spring" in support of those democratic movements and the Ukraine, while the Russians and Putin were threatening to invade.
Senator McCain, back in Washington, reached across the aisle and worked with his friend Senator Ted Kennedy on immigration reform, campaign finance reform (along with Russ Feingold) and other issues important to all Americans while never losing sight of American ideals and laws and always putting country before all else.
Senator McCain understood that politics do not work without compromise; an idea he stressed throughout this book. He was also a Republican and when asked by Senator Kennedy to join the democratic party he gratuitously refused. Yet, when he ran for President in 2008 he asked Senator Lieberman, a democrat and an independent, if he would consider being his running mate. He felt that by having Mr. Lieberman on the ticket that would help break through the stiffening partisanship that had overtaken Washington.
"The Restless Wave" is a reminder and a guide of why we send people to Washington to represent "we the people." Sadly, far too many of our representatives are so beholden to rich donors and afraid of party bosses that little gets done and, in the end, many of these representatives simply enrich themselves while pretending to care for "we the people." Thankfully, we have been fortunate enough as a nation to have someone as special as Senator McCain. Hopefully, more elected officials will emulate all that Senator McCain stood for and the risks he took to make America the beacon and hope of the world.
September 5, 2018
“Here he lies where he longs to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.”
“Requiem” Robert L. Stevenson
I assume this verse will be on John McCain’s tombstone, b/c it is so apt. Senator McCain served Arizona in the US Senate for 30 years, in the House for one term before that, and served his country in the US Navy for 25 years, over five of it as a “guest” in North Vietnam’s torture house, the Hanoi Hilton. McCain is a brave, outspoken -often bluntly so - old-school Republican, one of the last of the Cold Warriors. To quote Joe Biden (via Shakespeare) at MCCain’s Phoenix funeral, “We shall not see his like again.”
I had hoped to read “The Restless Wave” as soon as it came out, but other books intervened. In this book, the Senator reminisces about his two presidential campaigns; ALMOST apologizes for inflicting Sarah Palin on the nation; and says nice things about his opponents. McCain talks about notable Senate battles and opponents; and spends two chapters on Russia and its former satellite nations. This was where the book bogged down for me. There were just so many names and countries. I admire McCain’s devotion to foreign relations and especially his support of our military, but pretty soon, you come to realize that his response to any thorny foreign problem would have been to involve the US military. NO, Sir; there were OTHER approaches.
If, like me, you remember Capt. McCain returning home from Vietnam on crutches in 1973, you will want to read “The Restless Wave” to reminisce along w/ him and “celebrate a happy life lived in imperfect service to a country made of ideals, whose continued success is the hope of the world.” (P. 380)
Godspeed, Senator McCain.
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.”
“Requiem” Robert L. Stevenson
I assume this verse will be on John McCain’s tombstone, b/c it is so apt. Senator McCain served Arizona in the US Senate for 30 years, in the House for one term before that, and served his country in the US Navy for 25 years, over five of it as a “guest” in North Vietnam’s torture house, the Hanoi Hilton. McCain is a brave, outspoken -often bluntly so - old-school Republican, one of the last of the Cold Warriors. To quote Joe Biden (via Shakespeare) at MCCain’s Phoenix funeral, “We shall not see his like again.”
I had hoped to read “The Restless Wave” as soon as it came out, but other books intervened. In this book, the Senator reminisces about his two presidential campaigns; ALMOST apologizes for inflicting Sarah Palin on the nation; and says nice things about his opponents. McCain talks about notable Senate battles and opponents; and spends two chapters on Russia and its former satellite nations. This was where the book bogged down for me. There were just so many names and countries. I admire McCain’s devotion to foreign relations and especially his support of our military, but pretty soon, you come to realize that his response to any thorny foreign problem would have been to involve the US military. NO, Sir; there were OTHER approaches.
If, like me, you remember Capt. McCain returning home from Vietnam on crutches in 1973, you will want to read “The Restless Wave” to reminisce along w/ him and “celebrate a happy life lived in imperfect service to a country made of ideals, whose continued success is the hope of the world.” (P. 380)
Godspeed, Senator McCain.
May 6, 2020
It is fair for me to admit; that I rated this book potentially higher - because I liked the author. And because this work is pure John McCain!
Once again as you read - you feel that you are in a conversation with this great American hearing him - "admonish those who deserve to be admonished" and "showing great humility and gratitude" for the life he was gifted to live.
Senator McCain did not know how long he had - time is everything for someone in McCain's situation. The senator mused: “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here. Maybe I’ll have another five years…Maybe I’ll be gone before you read this. My predicament is, well, rather unpredictable. But I’m prepared for either contingency, or at least I’m getting prepared. I have some things I’d like to take care of first, some work that needs finishing, and some people I need to see. And I want to talk to my fellow Americans a little more if I may.”
And talk to us he did!
You will find yourself listening to him talk about his love for his country and how much it had given to him and others. Russia does not come out high on McCain's list; but his ire is focused on Putin who McCain warns has never stopped attacking America and its democracy. Most of all, McCain is disturbed at what he sees as Trump's tolerance of Putin, implying moral equivalence when Trump said, "We have a lot of killers too." McCain responds: "It was a shameful thing to say, and so unaware of reality."
McCain warns that Putin will never stop unless he is made to stop. Russia (through Putin) is a foreign enemy who is trying to defraud the United States; it damaged Hillary Clinton's campaign; but Russia's main objective has always been to encourage our government's disfunction.
Senator McCain is actually quite even handed when discussing President Trump. However he muses that he is mystified by the man.
"I'm not sure what to make of President Trump's convictions," McCain writes. "His lack of empathy for refugees, innocent, persecuted, desperate men, women, and children, is disturbing. The way he speaks about them is appalling, as if welfare or terrorism were the only purposes they could have in coming to our country. "He has declined to distinguish the actions of our government from the crimes of despotic ones. The appearance of toughness, or a reality show facsimile of toughness, seems to matter more than any of our values. The world expects us to be concerned with the condition of humanity. We should be proud of that reputation. I’m not sure the president understands that."
McCain writes that "before I leave I'd like to see our politics begin to return to the purposes and practices that distinguish our history from the history of other nations. "I would like to see us recover our sense that we are more alike than different."
One of the many seeds of discontent McCain feels has been sown by Russia and by Trump's tolerance of Putin is "distrust".
The outcome has been a growing distrust of our institutions and each other. Putin seeks to terrorize us into passivity and undermine our beliefs in our own values. Remember McCain implores - "America stands for truth against falsehood, hope against despair, freedom against tyranny, right against injustice and even though we will take losses and setbacks - we will endure as long as we believe that our values are worth fighting for."
America's exceptionalism has nothing to do with what we are - it has everything to do with our ideals and how we stand by our values. We have to be confident in ourselves and what these ideals represent in the world. We thrive in a global economy and should not retreat. We just have to believe in ourselves admonishes McCain. We have to value the world we made and elevate ourselves and each other by believing in America's moral goodness.
The senator wants Americans to believe in America's noble spirit which our country was founded upon and he quotes William Faulkner in his banquet speech when he was accepting his Nobel prize.
Faulkner said: "I decline to accept the end of man....I refuse to accept this. I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance."
On the final page of his book, McCain returns to the model of the Hemingway character he calls his hero, Robert Jordan of For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Hemingway's novel ends with Jordan lying wounded on open ground. He is armed to fight one last battle that he knows will end with his death. "The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for," Jordan says to himself, "and I hate very much to leave it."
To this, McCain adds his own response: "And I do too. I hate to leave it. But I don't have a complaint. Not one. It's been quite a ride. ... I made a small place for myself in the story of America and the history of my times.
May you rest in peace - Senator McCain.
by
Ernest Hemingway
William Faulkner
Once again as you read - you feel that you are in a conversation with this great American hearing him - "admonish those who deserve to be admonished" and "showing great humility and gratitude" for the life he was gifted to live.
Senator McCain did not know how long he had - time is everything for someone in McCain's situation. The senator mused: “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here. Maybe I’ll have another five years…Maybe I’ll be gone before you read this. My predicament is, well, rather unpredictable. But I’m prepared for either contingency, or at least I’m getting prepared. I have some things I’d like to take care of first, some work that needs finishing, and some people I need to see. And I want to talk to my fellow Americans a little more if I may.”
And talk to us he did!
You will find yourself listening to him talk about his love for his country and how much it had given to him and others. Russia does not come out high on McCain's list; but his ire is focused on Putin who McCain warns has never stopped attacking America and its democracy. Most of all, McCain is disturbed at what he sees as Trump's tolerance of Putin, implying moral equivalence when Trump said, "We have a lot of killers too." McCain responds: "It was a shameful thing to say, and so unaware of reality."
McCain warns that Putin will never stop unless he is made to stop. Russia (through Putin) is a foreign enemy who is trying to defraud the United States; it damaged Hillary Clinton's campaign; but Russia's main objective has always been to encourage our government's disfunction.
Senator McCain is actually quite even handed when discussing President Trump. However he muses that he is mystified by the man.
"I'm not sure what to make of President Trump's convictions," McCain writes. "His lack of empathy for refugees, innocent, persecuted, desperate men, women, and children, is disturbing. The way he speaks about them is appalling, as if welfare or terrorism were the only purposes they could have in coming to our country. "He has declined to distinguish the actions of our government from the crimes of despotic ones. The appearance of toughness, or a reality show facsimile of toughness, seems to matter more than any of our values. The world expects us to be concerned with the condition of humanity. We should be proud of that reputation. I’m not sure the president understands that."
McCain writes that "before I leave I'd like to see our politics begin to return to the purposes and practices that distinguish our history from the history of other nations. "I would like to see us recover our sense that we are more alike than different."
One of the many seeds of discontent McCain feels has been sown by Russia and by Trump's tolerance of Putin is "distrust".
The outcome has been a growing distrust of our institutions and each other. Putin seeks to terrorize us into passivity and undermine our beliefs in our own values. Remember McCain implores - "America stands for truth against falsehood, hope against despair, freedom against tyranny, right against injustice and even though we will take losses and setbacks - we will endure as long as we believe that our values are worth fighting for."
America's exceptionalism has nothing to do with what we are - it has everything to do with our ideals and how we stand by our values. We have to be confident in ourselves and what these ideals represent in the world. We thrive in a global economy and should not retreat. We just have to believe in ourselves admonishes McCain. We have to value the world we made and elevate ourselves and each other by believing in America's moral goodness.
The senator wants Americans to believe in America's noble spirit which our country was founded upon and he quotes William Faulkner in his banquet speech when he was accepting his Nobel prize.
Faulkner said: "I decline to accept the end of man....I refuse to accept this. I believe that man will not merely endure: he will prevail. He is immortal, not because he alone among creatures has an inexhaustible voice, but because he has a soul, a spirit capable of compassion and sacrifice and endurance."
On the final page of his book, McCain returns to the model of the Hemingway character he calls his hero, Robert Jordan of For Whom the Bell Tolls.
Hemingway's novel ends with Jordan lying wounded on open ground. He is armed to fight one last battle that he knows will end with his death. "The world is a fine place and worth the fighting for," Jordan says to himself, "and I hate very much to leave it."
To this, McCain adds his own response: "And I do too. I hate to leave it. But I don't have a complaint. Not one. It's been quite a ride. ... I made a small place for myself in the story of America and the history of my times.
May you rest in peace - Senator McCain.
by
Ernest Hemingway
William Faulkner
September 25, 2018
McCain really grabbed me and drew me in with his passion and his patriotism. I didn’t agree with all his positions, but I respect him tremendously for the courage of his convictions. I read the book before he passed away and his death hit me harder as a result. The book was more philosophical than I expected, less good-ol-boy and more good causes. McCain was an indefatigable champion of human rights around the world. I learned so much as he led me through country after country where he spent thirty years planting the seeds of democratic traditions and human rights – Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Arab spring, Tunisia, Egypt - always traveling in a delegation he chose deliberately to include both Democrats and Republicans. His objective was not partisan. He is an equal opportunity critic and has tough words for both Bush and Obama. But his consistent theme is that America can do better and we have a responsibility to try.
I love his stories from the Senate, especially his broad, open-minded approach to reaching across the aisle. He is such a believer in the miracle of American democracy that it is hard to look away. Plus, he put his money where his mouth during his entire life. Whether doubling down on the Iraq surge or amending the War Crimes Act to prohibit torture, the guy always had a well-thought out rationale. I agreed with his pure patriotism, the way he believed in American ideals for the sake of ideals, not for any pragmatic reason. Certainly not to win elections. “As long as serious men and women argued for torture’s efficacy the US would be at risk of staining our honor again…” Here is a guy who knows whereof he speaks, given his 5 years in enemy captivity.
Another thing I learned from McCain was the power of the military re-enlistment ceremonies he attended in the battlefield: “Many of them, after multiple combat deployments, aged beyond their years, having seen the worst and best of humanity, having risked everything for our country and its causes, signing up to do it some more. My God, they are a blessing to this nation, a living rebuke to cynicism and empty patriotism.”
The guy knew his stuff. His record on McCain Feingold campaign reform, health care reform and championing immigration reform is impressive. He wasn’t satisfied to pontificate or play to his base. He gives a short pointed list of how to pass legislation by building bipartisan coalitions and refuses to listen to naysayers. You can’t help but admire his pugnacious “get it done” attitude and wonder where it went? I thought he was a transactional politician – a term he despises – and yet he manages to blend principles and pragmatism. Brings tears to my eyes.
He hit me hard when he wrote, “It is a moral failure to believe tyranny and injustice are inevitable. Shared devotion to human rights is our truest heritage and our most important loyalty.” How’s that for a call to action?
I love his stories from the Senate, especially his broad, open-minded approach to reaching across the aisle. He is such a believer in the miracle of American democracy that it is hard to look away. Plus, he put his money where his mouth during his entire life. Whether doubling down on the Iraq surge or amending the War Crimes Act to prohibit torture, the guy always had a well-thought out rationale. I agreed with his pure patriotism, the way he believed in American ideals for the sake of ideals, not for any pragmatic reason. Certainly not to win elections. “As long as serious men and women argued for torture’s efficacy the US would be at risk of staining our honor again…” Here is a guy who knows whereof he speaks, given his 5 years in enemy captivity.
Another thing I learned from McCain was the power of the military re-enlistment ceremonies he attended in the battlefield: “Many of them, after multiple combat deployments, aged beyond their years, having seen the worst and best of humanity, having risked everything for our country and its causes, signing up to do it some more. My God, they are a blessing to this nation, a living rebuke to cynicism and empty patriotism.”
The guy knew his stuff. His record on McCain Feingold campaign reform, health care reform and championing immigration reform is impressive. He wasn’t satisfied to pontificate or play to his base. He gives a short pointed list of how to pass legislation by building bipartisan coalitions and refuses to listen to naysayers. You can’t help but admire his pugnacious “get it done” attitude and wonder where it went? I thought he was a transactional politician – a term he despises – and yet he manages to blend principles and pragmatism. Brings tears to my eyes.
He hit me hard when he wrote, “It is a moral failure to believe tyranny and injustice are inevitable. Shared devotion to human rights is our truest heritage and our most important loyalty.” How’s that for a call to action?
January 10, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audio—John McCain reads the prologue and epilogue while Beau Bridges reads the rest. I’ve been a fan of McCain’s for many years and was disappointed when he chose Palin for his running mate, a decision he talks about in the book. He has nothing but nice things to say about her. But he admits that he didn’t “go with his gut” when he was talked out of asking his long time friend Joe Lieberman, a former Democrat and now Independent, to be his Vice President. Would that combination have beaten Obama? Probably not but it’s the reason I’ve always liked him—that ability to reach across the aisle and make friends with “the other side.”
McCain devoted his life to serving the United States and we were better for it.
McCain devoted his life to serving the United States and we were better for it.
September 25, 2018
I have so much respect for this man after reading this book. It was so good and he gave so many years to living what he believed.
August 30, 2018
This book has been on my “To Read” list since I first found out it was going to be published. Last week, when I saw that McCain was stopping his cancer treatment, I knew it was time to borrow a copy, because he was not going to be long for this world. I’ve known a lot of people with this type of cancer, and it doesn’t matter who you are, the odds of surviving this longer than about 18 months, are very slim.
As you begin to read McCain’s story, you might think this is a political ploy for him to get re-elected, when in reality, he had already been diagnosed with a Glioblastoma (brain cancer) towards the end of the writing of this book. So, what did he have to lose [by writing what he did]? Nothing.
McCain has laid it all out here – his thoughts, beliefs, and facts on topics most important to him during his last years (this book begins the day after he lost the 2008 presidential election) in the senate.
Some things that resonated with me:
One thing about the layout of this book – each subject or topic was covered by one large chapter – 60-70 pages, each. It would have been better to have shorter, more readable chapters than trying to cram everything on that one topic into a single chapter.
Subject Matter
The discussion on what makes the United States a great nation was inspiring (p.140, Large Print edition).
I enjoyed reading about the different types of Republicans, and McCain’s definition of himself as a Reagan Republican. He was a proponent of lower taxes, less government, free markets, free trade, defense readiness, and democratic internationalism.
McCain also believed that government should respond to our biggest problems and prepare for our biggest future challenges, be as transparent as possible and as efficient as possible. There are a lot of government responsibilities that have needed to be reformed for decades, especially one of McCain’s pet peeves – our broken government acquisition system. McCain believed the same could be said about the rules of contemporary politics, the way redistricting is done in most of this country (he talked more about this later in the book, albeit briefly), and the explosion of unlimited and dark money in campaigns, an invitation to corruption made possible by the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case, a mistake made by five justices who never an for any office and were more naïve than a cloistered nun about the corrupting effect of unlimited money in politics.
McCain believed in the separation of powers, a press free to report without fear or favor, and free to infuriate politicians – including him – as they do. He also believed in principled compromises (this, in particular is talked about throughout this book) that move the country forward, goodwill towards Man, and empirical facts.
McCain’s statements with regards to the steps for getting a piece of legislation passed were very plain spoken, especially where he said, “Give the impression that you’re going to make yourself as big a pain in the a$$ on the issue as you can until some accommodation to your view is made by negotiated compromise if possible or by a vote,” being near the top.
McCain’s discussion on immigration reform was engrossing. While I appreciate everything he said, I do not agree with all of it. You’ll have to read the book to see if you agree or disagree with his arguments, but I think most people, on both side s of the aisle, might be a little surprised by some of his statements. Remember, McCain is all about principled compromise.
With regards to immigration, McCain’s stance on “American Exceptionalism,” including the quote he included from Ronald Reagan (p.348) was intriguing. He does agree that from a practical perspective, an immigrant will have an easier time if they learn English, but he also says that even a common language isn’t essential to assimilation.
The case that McCain made with regards to “Unlawful Immigration” was a powerful one. I wish I could include his entire opinion here, but that would take too much time and space. I did appreciate the “straight talk” and I learned a lot more about a topic I thought I already knew a lot about!
Finally, with regards to this subject, Ted Kennedy and McCain worked together to introduce a bill on Immigration Reform back in 2005. It did not pass and I sincerely believe we are where we are because Congress (both the house and senate) add things to bills that have no business being there (Pork barrel spending)!
McCain has definite opinions about how to get a reform bill of this type through Congress. I believe Hell will freeze over before this happens.
Next Topic: Although not as interesting, the information provided about McCain’s travels abroad on behalf of Senate business, as well as his dealings (from afar) with Putin, was enlightening. Although they have never actually met, McCain hated Putin and all that he represents. McCain has called Putin, Russia’s Corrupt Strongman, and I believe that is the nicest thing he had to say about him.
Putin’s [alleged] manipulation of our 2016 general election did not help our country, at all. McCain believes that by not imposing new sanctions on Putin, we are basically letting him get away with all that he has done.
McCain has been accused of being a warmonger (my term). He admits he likes to fight, but he really just wants to help people in fighting for their human rights. He wants citizens of other countries to have the same freedoms that we do here in the US. The things he has done were as a result of his military / POW knowledge.
The chapter called “Regular Order” (also a rule of the Senate) brought tears to my eyes, as this is where McCain begins to talk about his cancer diagnosis and final battles on the senate floor.
One interesting thing I learned, in this chapter – Every year since 2003 (and until this year), McCain has spent the 4th of July in Afghanistan or Iraq, and at every visit, he attends a re-enlistment ceremony. He writes, “Hundreds of warriors, some having served multiple combat tours, celebrate our country’s independence by voluntarily surrendering theirs and signing up for more hazard and stress. I look forward to the inspiration every year.”
The last time he was up for re-election, McCain ran on the premise that he would repeal and REPLACE Obamacare. The Republicans introduced the “Skinny Repeal,” but they had no good plan for how to comprehensively replace what Obamacare did. McCain voted for the motion to proceed to allow debate to continue and amendments to be offered but he stated that he would not vote for the bill as it was written because it was a shell of what a full bill should look like. This was why McCain voted against the repeal.
At the end of the book, McCain states, “We have to recover our sense that we’re part of a community that’s larger than our political cohort, that we all, despite our disagreements, have shared interests and values.”
Interesting Tidbit: Due to his upbringing and until he remarried, left the Navy, and moved to Cindy’s home in Arizona, the only time he lived in the same place longer than a year was an unexpectedly lengthy stay in a foreign country that would not let him leave.
“My fellow Americans. No association ever mattered more to me.” His message from here on out is a powerful one. “The bell tolls for us, my friends.”
Rest in Peace
As you begin to read McCain’s story, you might think this is a political ploy for him to get re-elected, when in reality, he had already been diagnosed with a Glioblastoma (brain cancer) towards the end of the writing of this book. So, what did he have to lose [by writing what he did]? Nothing.
McCain has laid it all out here – his thoughts, beliefs, and facts on topics most important to him during his last years (this book begins the day after he lost the 2008 presidential election) in the senate.
Some things that resonated with me:
One thing about the layout of this book – each subject or topic was covered by one large chapter – 60-70 pages, each. It would have been better to have shorter, more readable chapters than trying to cram everything on that one topic into a single chapter.
Subject Matter
The discussion on what makes the United States a great nation was inspiring (p.140, Large Print edition).
I enjoyed reading about the different types of Republicans, and McCain’s definition of himself as a Reagan Republican. He was a proponent of lower taxes, less government, free markets, free trade, defense readiness, and democratic internationalism.
McCain also believed that government should respond to our biggest problems and prepare for our biggest future challenges, be as transparent as possible and as efficient as possible. There are a lot of government responsibilities that have needed to be reformed for decades, especially one of McCain’s pet peeves – our broken government acquisition system. McCain believed the same could be said about the rules of contemporary politics, the way redistricting is done in most of this country (he talked more about this later in the book, albeit briefly), and the explosion of unlimited and dark money in campaigns, an invitation to corruption made possible by the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case, a mistake made by five justices who never an for any office and were more naïve than a cloistered nun about the corrupting effect of unlimited money in politics.
McCain believed in the separation of powers, a press free to report without fear or favor, and free to infuriate politicians – including him – as they do. He also believed in principled compromises (this, in particular is talked about throughout this book) that move the country forward, goodwill towards Man, and empirical facts.
McCain’s statements with regards to the steps for getting a piece of legislation passed were very plain spoken, especially where he said, “Give the impression that you’re going to make yourself as big a pain in the a$$ on the issue as you can until some accommodation to your view is made by negotiated compromise if possible or by a vote,” being near the top.
McCain’s discussion on immigration reform was engrossing. While I appreciate everything he said, I do not agree with all of it. You’ll have to read the book to see if you agree or disagree with his arguments, but I think most people, on both side s of the aisle, might be a little surprised by some of his statements. Remember, McCain is all about principled compromise.
With regards to immigration, McCain’s stance on “American Exceptionalism,” including the quote he included from Ronald Reagan (p.348) was intriguing. He does agree that from a practical perspective, an immigrant will have an easier time if they learn English, but he also says that even a common language isn’t essential to assimilation.
The case that McCain made with regards to “Unlawful Immigration” was a powerful one. I wish I could include his entire opinion here, but that would take too much time and space. I did appreciate the “straight talk” and I learned a lot more about a topic I thought I already knew a lot about!
Finally, with regards to this subject, Ted Kennedy and McCain worked together to introduce a bill on Immigration Reform back in 2005. It did not pass and I sincerely believe we are where we are because Congress (both the house and senate) add things to bills that have no business being there (Pork barrel spending)!
McCain has definite opinions about how to get a reform bill of this type through Congress. I believe Hell will freeze over before this happens.
Next Topic: Although not as interesting, the information provided about McCain’s travels abroad on behalf of Senate business, as well as his dealings (from afar) with Putin, was enlightening. Although they have never actually met, McCain hated Putin and all that he represents. McCain has called Putin, Russia’s Corrupt Strongman, and I believe that is the nicest thing he had to say about him.
Putin’s [alleged] manipulation of our 2016 general election did not help our country, at all. McCain believes that by not imposing new sanctions on Putin, we are basically letting him get away with all that he has done.
McCain has been accused of being a warmonger (my term). He admits he likes to fight, but he really just wants to help people in fighting for their human rights. He wants citizens of other countries to have the same freedoms that we do here in the US. The things he has done were as a result of his military / POW knowledge.
The chapter called “Regular Order” (also a rule of the Senate) brought tears to my eyes, as this is where McCain begins to talk about his cancer diagnosis and final battles on the senate floor.
One interesting thing I learned, in this chapter – Every year since 2003 (and until this year), McCain has spent the 4th of July in Afghanistan or Iraq, and at every visit, he attends a re-enlistment ceremony. He writes, “Hundreds of warriors, some having served multiple combat tours, celebrate our country’s independence by voluntarily surrendering theirs and signing up for more hazard and stress. I look forward to the inspiration every year.”
The last time he was up for re-election, McCain ran on the premise that he would repeal and REPLACE Obamacare. The Republicans introduced the “Skinny Repeal,” but they had no good plan for how to comprehensively replace what Obamacare did. McCain voted for the motion to proceed to allow debate to continue and amendments to be offered but he stated that he would not vote for the bill as it was written because it was a shell of what a full bill should look like. This was why McCain voted against the repeal.
At the end of the book, McCain states, “We have to recover our sense that we’re part of a community that’s larger than our political cohort, that we all, despite our disagreements, have shared interests and values.”
Interesting Tidbit: Due to his upbringing and until he remarried, left the Navy, and moved to Cindy’s home in Arizona, the only time he lived in the same place longer than a year was an unexpectedly lengthy stay in a foreign country that would not let him leave.
“My fellow Americans. No association ever mattered more to me.” His message from here on out is a powerful one. “The bell tolls for us, my friends.”
Rest in Peace
September 14, 2018
I'm mostly neutral about John McCain. I'm neither part of the fan club that acts like he's a saint nor the haters who act like he's the Anti-Christ. (That's most likely be the guy in the Oval office right now.)
I probably would not have voted for him had he run again -- and I refused to vote for him when he had that imbecilic Palin on his ticket -- but I think he would have made a decent President. So I came at this book willing to see what he had to say, hoping he would explain a few of his more confusing stances or actions, and respecting his public and military service.
It's not a bad book, but it's not nearly as interesting as I'd hoped.
I wish it had been more of his opinion and analysis of situations and less play-by-play rehashing of events. I don't think he fully appreciated that most people interested in reading his book probably also keep up with the news and so know the "what" of things and are looking more for the "why" and "how."
Against all reason, I was hoping for a full-on acknowledgement that loosing that Palin train wreck on the public was a grave mistake. Instead he sort of apologizes to her instead of to us for her by saying it was all his fault. While in a way true since it was his decision to make -- at least it should have been but for his campaign "advisors." And then he calls her "smart" and claims she had a "good performance" in the debate against Biden. Uh...no. I think McCain got "smart" confused with "cagey and power hungry," and Biden could have napped through that debate and still made a better showing then she did. (John, John, John, what did you have to lose by just admitting the woman's only redeeming qualities were that she had ovaries and looked nice on stage? Without even trying, Couric showed that Palin was willfully ignorant, arrogant, and dumb as a box of bricks. You could have done much better, and we deserved better.)
Actually, he tends to excuse a lot of people while acknowledging their actions were problematic. Let's just say he's overly generous sometimes with the "It's not all his fault because...." On the other hand, he straight up says that some things told to the public, especially about the Middle East, were "bullshit." And it's kind of nice to see someone call bullshit when they see it.
At the end of the book, my opinion of McCain had not changed much. I still think he sincerely believed in the positions he held, and that he wanted to leave the world a better place than he found it. We can debate all day about whether he did that or not, but at least he conscientiously tried to be in service to something bigger than himself. That's more than I can say for almost all the other politicians that have been in the news this week on either side of the aisle. You don't have to like the style something is made in to admit the fabric is strong and workmanship good.
I probably would not have voted for him had he run again -- and I refused to vote for him when he had that imbecilic Palin on his ticket -- but I think he would have made a decent President. So I came at this book willing to see what he had to say, hoping he would explain a few of his more confusing stances or actions, and respecting his public and military service.
It's not a bad book, but it's not nearly as interesting as I'd hoped.
I wish it had been more of his opinion and analysis of situations and less play-by-play rehashing of events. I don't think he fully appreciated that most people interested in reading his book probably also keep up with the news and so know the "what" of things and are looking more for the "why" and "how."
Against all reason, I was hoping for a full-on acknowledgement that loosing that Palin train wreck on the public was a grave mistake. Instead he sort of apologizes to her instead of to us for her by saying it was all his fault. While in a way true since it was his decision to make -- at least it should have been but for his campaign "advisors." And then he calls her "smart" and claims she had a "good performance" in the debate against Biden. Uh...no. I think McCain got "smart" confused with "cagey and power hungry," and Biden could have napped through that debate and still made a better showing then she did. (John, John, John, what did you have to lose by just admitting the woman's only redeeming qualities were that she had ovaries and looked nice on stage? Without even trying, Couric showed that Palin was willfully ignorant, arrogant, and dumb as a box of bricks. You could have done much better, and we deserved better.)
Actually, he tends to excuse a lot of people while acknowledging their actions were problematic. Let's just say he's overly generous sometimes with the "It's not all his fault because...." On the other hand, he straight up says that some things told to the public, especially about the Middle East, were "bullshit." And it's kind of nice to see someone call bullshit when they see it.
At the end of the book, my opinion of McCain had not changed much. I still think he sincerely believed in the positions he held, and that he wanted to leave the world a better place than he found it. We can debate all day about whether he did that or not, but at least he conscientiously tried to be in service to something bigger than himself. That's more than I can say for almost all the other politicians that have been in the news this week on either side of the aisle. You don't have to like the style something is made in to admit the fabric is strong and workmanship good.
June 28, 2018
Let me start with this blunt confession aka disclaimer - I am a Russian immigrant, an agnostic, and a progressive, so hopefully, I am not biased too much with my four star review, but the book is not about me - it is about John McCain by John McCain, who is a very rare breed among Republicans. He is a true patriot of his country ( as he sees it) and the one who is always willing to shake hands across the political aisle for the betterment of his country.
The book is not exactly a memoir - it is mostly a book of political and personal musings with some passages filled with painful truths, ideas you do not agree with, or even passages radiating elegiac confessions of what it is to be alive and be mortal.
As he openly states, McCain is a Reagan type Republican, an honest supporter of American ideals who sincerely believes that they will work for everyone on this Earth. He is, to a point, an incarnation of Rudyard Kipling with his idea of the white man's burden or, to be precise, American man's burden to bring prosperity, cultural growth, stability, and peace using the American model.
In this book, McCain shows that people can be friends despite their political affiliations and work together and compromise to the mutual benefit and the benefit of his country.
He was not hostile to anyone in the book, and he was very respectful of Sarah Palin despite her silly personality and irrational behavior after the campaign. He also honestly admitted that the surge of change that brought Obama to presidency was too strong to handle as America was ready for a change, but it also shows that he was willing to fight a good fight till the very end.
He never directly questioned and criticized Trump, but he clearly stated his own views on immigration, torture, religious and political freedoms and civility, and they are all drastically different from Trump's, so these are all tongue-in-cheek statements. Any book in the democracy with free market is a way of earning money, so he definitely did not want to completely alienate all Republican voters, and that is why he was harsher on Obama than I expected, but it was still a very respectful stance.
The only thing that was nagging me is his unapologetic support of Mikheil Saakashvili, who was a progressive change in Georgia many years ago, and now unfortunately, due to the vagaries of politics and his ambitions, turned into a clown-like politician who often plays cheap.
All in all, it does tell volumes about the person whose closest friends are both Republicans and Democrats, and who is possibly fighting his final battle with dignity and integrity.
Thank you, John McCain for allowing me to see another truth out of many that are there.
The book is not exactly a memoir - it is mostly a book of political and personal musings with some passages filled with painful truths, ideas you do not agree with, or even passages radiating elegiac confessions of what it is to be alive and be mortal.
As he openly states, McCain is a Reagan type Republican, an honest supporter of American ideals who sincerely believes that they will work for everyone on this Earth. He is, to a point, an incarnation of Rudyard Kipling with his idea of the white man's burden or, to be precise, American man's burden to bring prosperity, cultural growth, stability, and peace using the American model.
In this book, McCain shows that people can be friends despite their political affiliations and work together and compromise to the mutual benefit and the benefit of his country.
He was not hostile to anyone in the book, and he was very respectful of Sarah Palin despite her silly personality and irrational behavior after the campaign. He also honestly admitted that the surge of change that brought Obama to presidency was too strong to handle as America was ready for a change, but it also shows that he was willing to fight a good fight till the very end.
He never directly questioned and criticized Trump, but he clearly stated his own views on immigration, torture, religious and political freedoms and civility, and they are all drastically different from Trump's, so these are all tongue-in-cheek statements. Any book in the democracy with free market is a way of earning money, so he definitely did not want to completely alienate all Republican voters, and that is why he was harsher on Obama than I expected, but it was still a very respectful stance.
The only thing that was nagging me is his unapologetic support of Mikheil Saakashvili, who was a progressive change in Georgia many years ago, and now unfortunately, due to the vagaries of politics and his ambitions, turned into a clown-like politician who often plays cheap.
All in all, it does tell volumes about the person whose closest friends are both Republicans and Democrats, and who is possibly fighting his final battle with dignity and integrity.
Thank you, John McCain for allowing me to see another truth out of many that are there.
May 24, 2018
I really enjoyed reading his personal thoughts and statements and reading about his experiences. However, it was way too much detailed information for me on each battle in Iraq and Afghanistan.
June 15, 2019
Interesting book.... he spoke of his life in politics.
February 23, 2024
I think my admiration for John McCain probably has its roots in videos that popped up showing his 2008 concession speech, his No vote on the skinny repeal of Obamacare, defending Obama from his own supporters, and other times when he showed himself to be a very genteel maverick within the Republicans. These instances were often juxtaposed with how charged and polarized current politics are.
After having read Obama’s “A Promised Land” and Biden’s “Promise Me, Dad,” I felt like I wanted to read the memoir of a Republican who was their friend. I knew I’d probably disagree with a lot of his views more than I did with the books by the Democrats, but that was part of the reason I wanted to read this.
McCain comes off in this book as very idealistic, but also pragmatic in tempering such idealism. The book is very foreign policy oriented, which makes sense given that this was his specialty in his years in office. He makes a case for how important the West is and has been to making the world a better place in the last few decades. Not always perfect by a long shot, but he’s really good at making you believe how important recognition of an issue, making a statement about a political dissident in X country, military intervention, etc. can be at times.
He criticizes a lot of Obama’s foreign policy, especially with Iraq, Russia, Libya, and Syria. It was interesting to get the views from a dissenting voice, after having heard Obama’s thought process on some of these actions in his book. I come off this now feeling like McCain was probably more right on many of these things. I mean McCain was an early advocate of arming Ukraine, given his understanding of how Putin responds to perceived weakness, when Obama was unwilling to.
I think his focus on foreign policy in this book is probably why I found myself disagreeing with him less than I assumed I would. There was less discussion of social issues etc. where I assume I would have bigger disagreements with his conservative views. His pro-immigration chapter was also a surprise, given that I assumed he was more in line with what we associate Republican thought on this to be.
I guess this book affirms what I’ve slowly been coming to grasp in society. That there can be real camaraderie, friendship, and respect between people who have different views on a vast number or pressing issues. The idea of a pluralistic democracy is founded on compromise. While I don’t necessarily agree that decades past were golden eras of political discourse, I do like the candor that McCain discusses how troubling recent years have been with polarization and all.
After having read Obama’s “A Promised Land” and Biden’s “Promise Me, Dad,” I felt like I wanted to read the memoir of a Republican who was their friend. I knew I’d probably disagree with a lot of his views more than I did with the books by the Democrats, but that was part of the reason I wanted to read this.
McCain comes off in this book as very idealistic, but also pragmatic in tempering such idealism. The book is very foreign policy oriented, which makes sense given that this was his specialty in his years in office. He makes a case for how important the West is and has been to making the world a better place in the last few decades. Not always perfect by a long shot, but he’s really good at making you believe how important recognition of an issue, making a statement about a political dissident in X country, military intervention, etc. can be at times.
He criticizes a lot of Obama’s foreign policy, especially with Iraq, Russia, Libya, and Syria. It was interesting to get the views from a dissenting voice, after having heard Obama’s thought process on some of these actions in his book. I come off this now feeling like McCain was probably more right on many of these things. I mean McCain was an early advocate of arming Ukraine, given his understanding of how Putin responds to perceived weakness, when Obama was unwilling to.
I think his focus on foreign policy in this book is probably why I found myself disagreeing with him less than I assumed I would. There was less discussion of social issues etc. where I assume I would have bigger disagreements with his conservative views. His pro-immigration chapter was also a surprise, given that I assumed he was more in line with what we associate Republican thought on this to be.
I guess this book affirms what I’ve slowly been coming to grasp in society. That there can be real camaraderie, friendship, and respect between people who have different views on a vast number or pressing issues. The idea of a pluralistic democracy is founded on compromise. While I don’t necessarily agree that decades past were golden eras of political discourse, I do like the candor that McCain discusses how troubling recent years have been with polarization and all.
April 9, 2019
A Fascinating Memoir Audiobook
For many years I’ve followed the political career of John McCain. For eight years I lived in Arizona and McCain represented me as a senator in Washington. Beau Bridges read the bulk of this audiobook and I enjoyed the storytelling and information.
If you wonder about how the whole Russian investigation started, the roots are in the stories in THE RESTLESS WAVE. A wide range of stories and experiences are contained in this well-crafted memoir.
Whatever your political affiliation you can not deny the commitment to service of country permeates this book. I enjoyed THE RESTLESS WAVE audiobook and heard it cover to cover. I recommend it.
For many years I’ve followed the political career of John McCain. For eight years I lived in Arizona and McCain represented me as a senator in Washington. Beau Bridges read the bulk of this audiobook and I enjoyed the storytelling and information.
If you wonder about how the whole Russian investigation started, the roots are in the stories in THE RESTLESS WAVE. A wide range of stories and experiences are contained in this well-crafted memoir.
Whatever your political affiliation you can not deny the commitment to service of country permeates this book. I enjoyed THE RESTLESS WAVE audiobook and heard it cover to cover. I recommend it.
August 29, 2018
Probably more like 3.5 stars.
Strange that I started this book the day that John McCain died. He WAS optimistic while he wrote this book, admitting he didn't know if he would still be alive when the book was published, but he did expect to go back to the Senate.
A pastiche of events that McCain took part in involving, Lindsay Graham, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and others.
Unfortunately, he did not stick to a chronology which, when listening rather than reading, can be confusing.
One thing that confused me was in the book he talks about his relationship with Ted Kennedy and even Kennedy's death. Later he says, when he got the diagnosis, he had never heard of glioblastoma. I guess that's possible, but I certainly realized what it was when McCain told us he had it. I knew because of Kennedy.
I'm glad I listened to this book. I'm sorry John McCain is gone.
Strange that I started this book the day that John McCain died. He WAS optimistic while he wrote this book, admitting he didn't know if he would still be alive when the book was published, but he did expect to go back to the Senate.
A pastiche of events that McCain took part in involving, Lindsay Graham, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and others.
Unfortunately, he did not stick to a chronology which, when listening rather than reading, can be confusing.
One thing that confused me was in the book he talks about his relationship with Ted Kennedy and even Kennedy's death. Later he says, when he got the diagnosis, he had never heard of glioblastoma. I guess that's possible, but I certainly realized what it was when McCain told us he had it. I knew because of Kennedy.
I'm glad I listened to this book. I'm sorry John McCain is gone.
August 16, 2019
This was so good. I walked away with a much clearer understanding of geopolitical issues that I lived through, but wasn’t old enough to grasp the complexity of; The Arab Spring, the rise of Vladimir Putin and the relations of former soviet nations, the United States use of torture, the war in Iraq, and so much more. I loved hearing from a man with a truly American view of democratic internationalism, who bases the idea of exceptionalism not in race or location, but in the values and ideals that have helped the world embrace increasing levels of freedom and human dignity.
July 17, 2018
Holy cow, did he ever travel. I can understand why he needed fact checkers to help him with dates and places. This is a compendium of Senator McCains time in the Senate. He obviously relished and enjoyed the experience.
Apropos of the Presidents visit to Finland, Senator McCain makes no bones about mistrusting Vladimir Putin and his goals. He also mistrusts the President and his America First agenda.
This book could have made stronger with some judicious editing. It takes a bit to plow through the details.
Senator McCain is a true American hero.
Apropos of the Presidents visit to Finland, Senator McCain makes no bones about mistrusting Vladimir Putin and his goals. He also mistrusts the President and his America First agenda.
This book could have made stronger with some judicious editing. It takes a bit to plow through the details.
Senator McCain is a true American hero.
April 18, 2025
I regret waiting to read this until 2025. My politics do not align with his, but I respect his motivation and experience. It is devastating to read his warnings and predictions from a decade ago and know we are living it now. If only people had listened... My favorite quote: "I am not a Fox News Republican."
September 16, 2018
I can’t express how wonderful and heartbreaking it was to read this.
July 14, 2018
An interesting life - a good, broad look at the world from the view of McCain. A lot of explanation, but not an apologia. No regrets over Sara Palin. No love for Putin. Confusion about wtf is up with Trump. Interesting reflections on the Senate - with Kennedy, Udall, and others.
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