In McCain: The Myth of a Maverick, Matt Welch, an editorial page editor at the Los Angeles Times, offers a critical assessment of Arizona Senator and Republican presidential candidate John McCain. McCain, who is regularly portrayed in the media as a "maverick" and an "outsider", is anything but according to Welch. While the book was written last year when McCain's presidential campaign was floundering and appeared to be on the verge of collapse, it is now considerably more important given the fact that McCain is the 2008 Republican Party presidential nominee.

Welch's central argument is that McCain is not a "maverick" and that he is not a Washington DC "outsider." Instead, these images are largely a fiction that is enabled by the media. Welch talks at length about the type of media coverage McCain receives and how the Senator interacts with the media. He points out that McCain is one of the most journalistically unexamined candidates. He describes how McCain, who uses joking and self-deprecation to his advantage, receives generally favorable media coverage from the national press. He gives almost unlimited access to the national press, a strategy that gains him favorable status with the national media. Moreover, his self-deprecation and apparent raw honesty make journalists less likely to explore his record.

Unfortunately, if journalists were to explore McCain's record, they would find that he is neither a "maverick" nor an "outsider." Welch did considerable research into McCain's family background and shares with readers that McCain, who served in the Navy, is from an incredibly well-connected family. McCain is a third-generation Navy officer who attended elite boarding schools and married a millionaire. His status as the son of a Navy admiral kept him alive during his much talked about time as a POW in Vietnam. This directly contradicts the notion that he is "of the people." Moreover, he has spent much of his life in Washington DC and is not "outside" of it. Indeed, when he ran for the US House of Representatives in Arizona he had only recently moved to the state and had no real connection with the people.

On policy matters, Welch argues that McCain is not a "maverick." McCain cultivates the "maverick" myth by pretending to be a "straight talker" who does what is right and not necessarily what is popular. One of McCain's hallmark issues--campaign finance reform--was actually a product of McCain's involvement in a political scandal, rather than being something that he took up of his own will. Moreover, the law is riddled with loopholes and McCain himself continues to excel at private fundraising. Interestingly, he has never won an election without outspending his opponent. Welch, who points out that despite a lot of talk about "pork" he has done little to actually eliminate it, also challenges McCain's image as a "reformer". In both of these arenas, two of McCain's key polices--campaign finance reform and the line item veto--have faced significant constitutional challenges and have been weakened by court rulings. Regrettably, McCain: The Myth of a Maverick never gets into a full overview of McCain's voting record. While it is brought up and talked about in relation to some issues discussed, the book would have benefited from a more detailed exploration of how McCain has voted.

Welch also challenges the idea of McCain as a "straight talker." He points out that while McCain's "Straight Talk Express" was a key aspect of McCain's 2000 campaign, it has been fairly absent from the 2008 campaign. Moreover, he points out that McCain has a propensity for claiming that his positions have always been consistent when the reality is more complex. McCain has significantly changed his positions on ethanol subsidies, gay marriage, abortion, and President George W. Bush's tax cuts while claiming that they have always been the same. In fact, McCain often lashes out at people who accuse him of changing his position. McCain's positions on these issues--many of which are important to the Republican base--are tantamount to pandering according to Welch.

Overall, McCain: The Myth of a Maverick is a good introductory effort that debunks the myth of Senator McCain as a "maverick." Welch clearly and convincingly argues that McCain is not a maverick and that there are is wealth of material for McCain's opponents to explore. Welch also deserves credit for maintaining a high level of discourse and not stooping to the level of the petty insults that characterize many of the books on President George W. Bush. Welch does talk about McCain's raucous past and his fierce temper, but he does so in a way that is relevant and appropriate to the arguments he is making. McCain: The Myth of a Maverick will likely be the first of many books on McCain during the election season, and hopefully, future efforts will focus more attention on the specifics of McCain's voting record.

Matt Welch, McCain: The Myth of a Maverick, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007).