Free Ride
John McCain has garnered media adoration for his military service, time spent as a prisoner of war and Congressional efforts to reform campaign finance. But McCain also has a reputation for a bare-knuckled style of politics that punishes opposition and engages in verbal clubbings aplenty. One new book on the presumptive Republican presidential candidate digs deep into his less than flattering moments.
This week, we examine Free Ride: John McCain and the Media by David Brock and Paul Waldman
John McCain has come a long way since his 1989, when, as a member of the Keating Five, he was accused of corruption related to a savings and loan investigation. By 1991, the Senate Ethics Committee found McCain had been involved in the scandal, and the Arizona senator, by all accounts, went on a crusade to clean up his image and legacy.
How well he’s done is still the subject of debate. While mainstream media fawns over McCain’s many positive contributions in Congress, others point to the calculated manner in which the senator has crafted an image that at times clashes with his private persona. Free Ride is an opinionated look at McCain’s record of inter-party dealings, media comments, questionable actions in Congress and a lot more. Authors Brock and Waldman lay out transcripts, personal accounts and meeting notes to make their case, and it is at many moments convincing. At other points, it is hard to say if Free Ride is pointing out true McCain lapses, or just the commonplace goings-on and chatter of backroom politics that surely happens on the Hill each day.
Thus, it remains to be seen whether Free Ride will win over people to a new way of thinking. A lot of this book seems to be written for those who are probably already skeptical of McCain and are not necessarily voting for him. If you are a fan of the candidate, chances are a lot of examples here will simply be dismissed as McCain’s trademark ’straight talk.’ With the election season underway, the number of writings critical of John McCain will surely grow. Free Ride is one of the early books, and might be one of the better ones when all is said and done.
