Customer Reviews

Worth the Fighting For: The Education of an American Maverick, and the Heroes Who Inspired Him

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Senator John McCain's second volume of autobiography covers his career after his return from captivity in North Vietnam through his unfortunately failed bid for the Presidency in the 2000 elections. As he talks about his life and career, he also discusses those who have inspired and taught him, from history (TR, Billy Mitchell), literature (the Robert Jordan character from "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and Brando's portrayal of Zapata in "Viva Zapata"), sports (Ted Williams - a great baseball player and a fine Marine pilot in WWII and Korea), and from his own life (late Senators Scoop Jackson, Morris Udall, and John Tower - two of them Democrats, interestingly - among others). These essays mostly stand on their own and are worth the price of admission alone.

McCain is honest, sometimes brutally so, about his own failings and errors; his description of the Keating Five affair is thorough and unsparing, as are his admissions of occasional prevarication and displays of temper. He is no less straightforward about his political experiences. While a dedicated conservative and a believer, his contempt for the near-fascist "Christian" wing of the Republican party is evident, as is his disgust with the treatment former Senator John Tower received when nominated by President George H.W. Bush for the post of Secretary of Defense, a nomination shot down more by far right wingers than by the Democrats. One thing I did miss was his honest appraisal of the current President, but from patriotic motivations McCain may be saving that for later.

McCain seems to be suggesting at the end of the book that his public life is nearly over, that his Presidential ambitions are finished. All I can say is that I sincerely hope not. I am a Democrat who would support a McCain run for the Presidency unreservedly. I do not always agree with his views, but I admire his dedication to campaign finance reform, his strength, his candor, his willingness to work with the other side and see them as the loyal opposition rather than as traitors, his courage, and his service to our country. And if McCain never runs for the Presidency, what better final service could he render his country than to lead an effort to return the GOP back to its true core values and rescue it from the clutches of the far right.

While there are many politicians who profess to be uncontrollable mavericks who vote strictly based upon their conscience, there are few who do so in actuality. John McCain is one of these few rare creatures that are slowly growing extinct in a political climate that readily denounces instead of encouraging political reform and true representation of one's constituency. As the noble McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform is pondered by the Supreme Court for its supposed unconstitutionality and concurrently eviscerated by machine politicians such as Mitch McConnell, John McCain continues his admirably idealistic and iconoclastic approach to political reform: It's worth the fighting for.

As the vast multitude of Senators surreptitiously sneak in pork barrel earmarks that waste taxpayers billions of dollars per year, McCain espouses a line item veto - where the President can eliminate such wasteful expenditures while still signing the bill into law. McCain is loath to the inherent corruption and undue influence that soft money has effected upon the election process under the auspices of ostensibly independent ads on the eve of elections. Corruption, pork barrel politics, dishonesty, apathy, and anti-Americanism are all anathema to the most distinguished and honorable Senator in our great country - John McCain. I highly recommend this memoir. Just as McCain does so commendably with his politics, he has put his heart into it as only he can.

After reading his other memoir "Faith of my Fathers," I was given "Worth the Fighting For" as a gift. And what a gift it turned out to be! Senator John McCain proves that he is truly one of the great All-American heroes of our time.

This memoir is honest, entertaining, and enlightening. By including the biographies of individuals McCain admired, we gain even better insight into the way John McCain's mind works. We begin to understand his motivations, his aspirations, and above all, his values. I am almost startled by how TRUTHFUL he is in approaching the challenges and obstacles in his life (running the gamut from his first bid for congress, the Keating Five Scandal, the run for President, and his Campaign Finance Reform movement.)What a life he's led!

I could not have come up with a better title for his work ("Worth the Fighting For"). Senator McCain very clearly demonstrates what he believes are the most important values integral to being a public servant and an American. I read this memoir with a pencil, because I found myself underlining so many moving and inspirational passages in his work.

Although I don't share the same political views as McCain, I can't help but feel an awesome sense of admiration for this man and his accomplishments. His memoir moves past political debates and dialogue...to examining and understanding our deeper core beliefs.

My absolute favorite chapters were the ones describing his bid for the Presidency and his efforts in Campaign Finance reform. However, all his biographical sketches were informative and fascinating. Another perk of reading his work, is getting a more personal opinion of the many "famous" elected officials running our nation--it's interesting to think why he either likes/dislikes these individuals.

An excellent work. Definitely pick this one up!

Unfortunately this book which I hoped to be a biographical "chapter 2" to his personal journey after his Viet Nam stint, as covered so well in "Faith of My Fathers," this book offers only a sloppy mish-mash of this and that, which causes it to never commit to be any specific type of book. It tries to be part "Profiles in Courage" (which later McCain books "Courage Matters," and "Hard Call" commit to), part "Leaders" (by Nixon), and part autobiography, but sits as an uncommitted, uneven, unsatisfactory read. On paper this might have been a good idea - to tell one's story by also talking about that person's heroes, but in this work all these different types of works get in the way of each other. There is a chapter that goes on ad nauseum about the Keating scandal to be followed up on a piece of fluff over Ted Williams the baseball player.
This is also probably not the bio that his supporters want us to read during this 2008 election as almost each and every "hero" of his...including his contemporaries...are all dead, which highlights the age issue. I have yet to find a classic bio on this man, but I understand they are out there; unfortunately this book sadly misses its mark.

If nothing else, this book is a great example of a readily available piece of material where John McCain himself describes himself as a "maverick". As of late, he's been saying he's never used that phrase for himself.

Enjoyed hearing the audio version of WORTH THE FIGHTING
FOR: A MEMOIR by John McCain with Mark Salter (his
administrative assistant) . . . McCain did the narration, and that
had a lot to do with why I liked it so much . . . it felt that he was
speaking to me directly . . . I also got to know much more about
McCain's career after his Vietnam captivity . . . he pulls no
punches, talking about his friendship with John Tower and the
subsequent babble over Tower's nomination for defense

secretary . . . similarly, he revisits the "Keating Five" affair that
nearly wrecked his career in the early 1990s . . . yet both most
amazing and refreshing was his candid admission that he lied
during his 2000 run for the presidency . . . when asked about
the Confederate flag, he first did not tell the truth about his
background . . . he then compounded this mistake by not
divulging how he really felt about the subject.

Yet that said, I think the following quote from the book provides insight into
what John McCain is all about: "A rebel without a cause is just a
punk. Whatever you're called--rebel, unorthodox, nonconformist,
radical--it's all self-indulgence without a good cause to give you
meaning."

It got me thinking that I'd give serious consideration to voting for
him should he ever decide to run again. . . however, it is unlikely
that he will be given the opportunity--much to my loss but
to Arizona's continued gain.

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

I bought this book hoping to be inspired by some manifestation of John McCain's commitment to coming back, again and again, as a candidate for President of the United States.

Instead, the book ends with what appears to me to be a sigh of *resignation*, a clear statement that he's had his run and will not run again. At a time when most of America is either Independent or opting out of politics, nothing could be more disappointing. This man has the power to lead, a fire in the belly, an intellect, a seasoning under pressure, and a compassion, that are too lacking in others.

This American hero survived North Vietnamese prison camps, but he evidently has been worn down by his own Republican bureaucracy and aristocracy. It is sad to see a hero triumph over foreign adversity only to be worn down by "friendly fire."

As both a reader and a citizen, I would suggest that a better ending to the book, and the story, would be Winston Churchill's most famous (and shortest) speech to a university, the repetition, three times, each time with a smack of his cane against the podium: "NEVER GIVE UP."

In this second memoir, United States Senator John McCain continues his story, picking up where he left off in Faith of Our Fathers. The first memoir, which was well received, ended with McCain's 1972 return home from five plus years as a prisoner of war. This edition takes us from that point to the present day, and includes discussions of the "Keating Five", ideas about campaign finance reform, ideas about reform of
congressional operations, and presidential campaigning. It is an interesting and entertaining read.
Any memoir is subjective, presenting the writer's personal view of the events of his or her life and activities. When the writer is a public figure of some note, such as Senator McCain, it is likely to include some aspects of explanation offered primarily to show that the subject is aware of his shortcomings and regrets them. This memoir has self-examination and apology to a fine degree. It also has very interesting narrative about McCain's beliefs and things he learned through his "second career" in politics, which are useful information for the reader.
Of particular interest to this reader is McCain's interspersion among the recollections of his activities of several stories of people (or characters) whose life and attitudes he finds worthy of emulation. These include Robert Jordan (Hemingway's For Whom the Bells Toll), General Billy Mitchell, Marlon Brando's portrayal of the Mexican revolutionary in Viva Zapata, Ted Williams, and Theodore Roosevelt.
McCain's father and grandfather were naval officers who achieved high rank and notable service. Five years in Vietnamese prisons took him out of the loop for too long for comparable achievement, never mind the physical toll exacted by the conditions of his imprisonment. After serving for several years as liaison with the U.S. Senate, McCain decided to resign from the Navy and seek public office. His second wife was from Arizona, so he moved there to run for office. He was elected to the House, and then successfully sought to succeed Senator Barry Goldwater. His service has been marked with "maverick" positions, controversy, and an attempt for the Republican nomination for the presidency, which he lost to George W. Bush. If McCain's explanation of the things he did as a Senator and candidate are somewhat self-serving, so what? It is refreshing to read his version directly, without filtering and editorializing from the media. He makes some telling points about the need for campaign and congressional reform.

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