"Faith Of My Fathers" - The John McCain Book

I am going to start a short series on some of the books that I am reading to see if I can get to know the two presumed presidential candidates better. I plan on reading several on each man so if you have read any and want to suggest them, please let me know. I am a pro at the "Inter-library loan" process, so I can probably get my hands on a copy of just about anything. I started with the John McCain book, Faith Of My Fathers for no other reason than it was the first one that the library had available.

The book is primarily a memoir of three generations of McCain men. The first quarter of the book focuses on John McCain's grandfather and father, the second quarter, on John's growing up and time at the Naval Academy, and the last half of the book talks about his time as an American POW during the Vietnam War.

When I read a book, I generally will either like it from the beginning or will stop reading after the first chapter. If a book does not capture my attention, I don't waste my time trying to finish it. I had told myself that if I read some books for my blog (and myself) I would have to finish them or risk complete cyberspace ridicule. I had no problem with this one though. It was a really good book.

I have always had a hard time saying nice things about John McCain, and let me affirm as I will throughout this post that I don't think he is presidential material, but this book opened my eyes to another side of McCain, that I knew nothing about. John McCain was (and probably still is) a fun guy. Again, I don't want him as my president, but he would probably be a great guy to go have a beer with. He has got a pretty good sense of humor and actually seems to have a likable personality. Not that I want to help his campaign, but if he would show this side, he might gain some votes.

Though showing a likable side, this side is exactly why we don't need him as president. McCain's grandfather and father were both portrayed as rebels, who, as Naval Officers, followed instructions as long as they served them best. Most of the time their gambles worked, which gave them opportunities to rise in the ranks, both leaving the Navy as Admirals. John inherited this rebellious side which he showed, almost boasted, during the chapters about his education at the Naval Academy,

These chapters in a way really pushed my buttons for dislike of the man. He starts by saying rather arrogantly, that he was in the bottom five in his class during his entire time at the Academy. He makes the statement that he did not want to go there and did not even try to get in, but his father "made a few phone calls" and then "dropped me off for my plebe year". This statement angered me and I continued to think about it as I read about his education.

If you are not familiar with the military academy's here is a summary. The three US Military Academy's (Army, Navy, and Air Force), are the best, most elite education one can receive in the United States. Students must be nominated by their state representatives and must go through a testing process both with academic requirements and physical fitness requirements. The men and women sign a contract of military service after graduation as return payment to their country for providing such a great education. The academy's are military institutions and are run accordingly. There are extremely high academic and fitness standards that must be maintained to avoid expulsion. They are not party schools.

McCain blatantly and arrogantly told of his wasted time at the Naval Academy and boldly makes the assumption that if he was not the son and grandson of two Naval Admirals, he would never have graduated. This is very irritating because he took the place of another student who wanted to go to the Academy. He took the place of someone who might have taken full advantage of their opportunity. The way that McCain described all his pranks and how he broke all the rules "except the honor code" is very telling.

If you have read my other posts, you know that I have great respect and admiration for anyone who wears the uniform of the US Armed Forces. I believe that all of the men and women are heroes, and John McCain is no exception. I found the part of the book about his capture and years as a POW, very interesting and it is probably his rebellious attitude and reliance on himself that allowed him to survive. The POW's are amazing people who survived the worst circumstances, but being a war hero alone, does not automatically make a great president.

I think the ideas that I got from this book that bother me the most about John McCain are his total disregard for the rules, his arrogance, and the way he reacts when dealing with situations (kind of seems to punch first and ask questions later). Now, these are not negative characteristics in all situations. John McCain was a good warrior, no doubt. I do doubt his ability to be a great president.

I am really glad that I read this as it gave me a new side of John McCain to look at. It did however affirm my idea that this is not the guy for the White House.