Unmasking John McCainPaul Hogarthbyline‚ May. 29‚ 2008With a frightening number of Democrats saying they plan to vote for John McCain if their preferred candidate does not win the nomination, it’s time to evaluate who the senior Senator from Arizona really is. Two new books help answer that question. In The Real McCain, Cliff Schecter offers a gloomy portrait of a hot-tempered right winger whose opportunism has earned him mistrust from even those who share his beliefs. But it’s Free Ride: John McCain and the Media by David Brock and Paul Waldman that answers the more fundamental question: how does McCain get away with a “maverick” reputation that he does not deserve, and why does the press corps give him such fawning coverage when they gladly tear other politicians apart? |