Autobiography of John Sidney McCain III, Sometime Senator of Arizona

1. To Fly My father was an admiral, and so I joined the Navy. Back in fifty-eight to be a pilot seemed the way to go: ship-sailors were committed to a crate. Scrub decks? Paint rusting gunwales? That’s a ‘no’. The Skyhawk was my weapon (and my fate!) 2. Rubicon Crossing Some nations follow rainbows, I am told: we thought, in Vietnam, ‘search and destroy’ would lead us to our fabled pot of gold. For years we tried it, but it brought no joy: we lost our nerve, and switched to ‘clear and hold’. Saigon endured the selfsame end as Troy. 3. Brainwash The Hanoi Hilton. Yes, I was a guest. They found my father was a VIP, and left off hurting me. Impressed, they wanted to restore my liberty. But if I left my buddies, I’d detest myself. I turned them down. That’s decency! 4. Frozen Side of the Sun Should politicians simply sing the song? A woman voter told me, in the hall, Obama was a Muslim. I said, “Wrong!” I guess I lost her vote. I made the call I knew was the correct one. I was strong. Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all.