John McCain is one of the most familiar, sympathetic, and overexposed figures in American politics, yet his concrete governing philosophy and actual track record have been left curiously unexamined, mostly because of the massive distractions in his official biography, but also because of his ingenious strategy of talking ad infinitum to each and every access-craving media person who happens by. The more he has spouted, the less journalists have bothered trying to see through the fog. McCain gives the public what it wants but can't find -- a flesh-and-bones political portrait of a man onto whom people are forever projecting their own ideological fantasies. It is a psychological key for decoding his allegedly ‘maverick' actions. McCain will quickly lay out in overlapping detail the root cause of the senator's worldview: his personal transformation from underachieving punk to war hawk uber-patriot, in which he used the "higher power" of American nationalism to save his life and soul. McCain looks behind the war hero, behind the maverick reformer. Journalist and pundit Matt Welch brings to this project an investigative eye and a coolly analytical mindset to provide Republicans, Democrats and Independents a picture of the man.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Senator John McCain tells the story of his great American journey, from the U.S. Navy to his electrifying campaign for the presidency in 2000, interwoven with heartfelt portraits of the mavericks who have inspired him through the years. After five and a half years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, naval aviator John McCain returned home a changed man. Regaining his health and flight-eligibility status, he resumed his military career, commanding carrier pilots and serving as the navy’s liaison to what is sometimes ironically called the world’s most exclusive club, the United States Senate. Accompanying Senators John Tower and Henry “Scoop” Jackson on international trips, McCain began his political education in the company of two masters, leaders whose standards he would strive to maintain upon his election to the U.S. Congress. There, he learned valuable lessons in cooperation from a good-humored congressman from the other party, Morris Udall. In 1986, McCain was elected to the U.S. Senate, inheriting the seat of another role model, Barry Goldwater. During his time in public office, McCain has seen acts of principle and acts of craven self-interest. He describes both extremes in these pages, with his characteristic straight talk and humor. He writes honestly of the lowest point in his career, the Keating Five savings and loan debacle, as well as his triumphant moments—his return to Vietnam and his efforts to normalize relations between the U.S. and Vietnamese governments; his fight for campaign finance reform; and his galvanizing bid for the presidency in 2000. Writes McCain: “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 your life meaning.” This is the story of McCain’s causes, the people who made him do it, and the meaning he found. Worth the Fighting For reminds us of what’s best in America, and in ourselves. Praise for Worth the Fighting For “When [John] McCain writes of people and patriotism, his pages shine with a devotion, a loving awe, that makes Worth the Fighting For worth the shelling out for. . . . McCain the man remains one of the most inspiring public figures of his generation.”—Jonathan Raunch, The Washington Post “[An] unpredictable, outspoken memoir . . . a testimonial to heroism from someone who has first-hand knowledge of what it takes.”—The New York Times

The country is more polarized than it has been for decades, but John McCain is the rare public figure who has earned the respect of colleagues and constituents on both sides of the aisle. A model for bipartisanship and political integrity, in his forty years in politics McCain has never been afraid to buck trends or ruffle a few feathers. His words are more important today than ever.

The Little Book of Truths about John McCain is a handy reference for Democrats, Independents, and the not-so-convinced-that-John McCain-should-be-our-next-President Republicans. If you wonder whether the Straight-Talk Express is in need of an alignment, you¿re not alone. This book of ¿McCainisms¿ will help you understand the 'real McCain¿¿not the myth portrayed in the media. Easy to read. Easy to remember. This handbook of quotes, excerpts and articles unmask McCain the Maverick. We discover McCain the ¿lap dog¿ voting 95% of the time with George W. Bush. Armed with these nuggets of truth, you will be able to turn those ¿nay sayers¿ into the ¿yeah sayers."

Chronicles the life of John McCain, discussing his childhood, military service, years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, marriage, political career, and campaign for president.

We live in a gotcha media culture that revels in exposing the foibles and hypocrisies of our politicians. But one politician manages to escape this treatment, getting the benefit of the doubt and a positive spin for nearly everything he does: John McCain. Indeed, even during his temporary decline in popularity in 2007, the media continued to support him by lamenting his fate rather than criticizing the flip flops and politicking that undermined his popular image as a maverick.David Brock and Paul Waldman show how the media has enabled McCain's rise from the Keating Five scandal to the underdog hero of the 2000 primaries to his roller-coaster run for the 2008 nomination. They illuminate how the press falls for McCain's “straight talk” and how the Arizona senator gets away with inconsistencies and misrepresentations for which the media skewers other politicians. This is a fascinating study of how the media shape the political debate, and an essential book for every political junkie.

For Democrats, Independents, and the majority of Republicans who are fed up with the GOP, a handbook for the most important election in our lifetime. With the indispensable chapters: The John McCain Quiz and Things John McCain is Older Than. In details that will surprise even close followers of the political scene, veteran political strategist Paul Begala thoroughly makes the case that John McCain would be a third term for George W. Bush. He explodes the myth that John McCain is a maverick, and proves powerfully that he's just four more years of the same old thing.