Of the six titles that list John McCain as an author, the book that gives us the largest window into McCain’s soul and personality is Faith Of My Fathers. Written with longtime staffer Mark Salter and published in 1999, this memoir chronicles the larger-than-life lineage of a family tree whose roots reach back to Scot Presbyterian warriors.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee explains his military ancestors this way: “The McCains, bred to fight as Highland Scots of the Clan McDonald, arrived in the New World shortly after American gained her independence, when Hugh McCain settled his wife and six children in Caswell County, North Carolina, and built his estate, Lenox Castle.”

To see more about John McCain’s Faith of My Fathers, CLICK HERE.

Sen. Hillary Clinton joins Sen. Barack Obama onstage in New Hampshire today in a public show of unity after that bruising primary battle that was fought to the bitter end. Now the two biggest stars of the Democratic Party have kissed (literally, reports CNN’s Candy Crowley) and made up.

For those just now taking notice of the presidential race and wonder what the hubbub about this Obama guy is, they can get caught up with The Audacity of Hope, or a new title compiled by the editors of Slate, Obamamania! The English Language, Barackafied.

From the foreword:
“This book began as an idle e-mail discussion among Slate writers who had noticed more and more Obamaisms cropping up in this campaign. Once we realized that there were so many possibilities, we compiled the best of them into a feature on Slate and invited readers to submit their own words and definitions. Great words continue to roll in daily. The definitions in this book are a combination of our original offerings and these submissions, many of which have not previously been published.

“We hope readers find these words and definitions entertaining. There are, after all, worse ways in this interminable election to keep yourself Barackupied.”

To learn more abaout Obamamania!, CLICK HERE.

I ran across an interesting tidbit while rifling through various releases, newsletters, announcements, etc. It was a new (re-)release of a John McCain book, Citizen McCain. It stated, rather vaguely, I thought, that it was released May 2008. Typically they’ll give the specific date of publication, usually a Tuesday. Why is that? I’m sure there’s a standard answer that I’m just too dumb to know.

I digress. So I poked around, Googled it (God bless Google), read some reviews and discerned that this is a re-issue of a 2002 book. Which explains why it focused so much on campaign reform legislation and 9/11. I looked again, and the cover does add “new introduction by the author.” Still, it’s clear that the publisher (Simon and Schuster) was hoping to impress the would-be buyer that this is new stuff.

Then I ran into an even more-interesting item that had escaped my ever-vigilant radar (he writes, facetiously): John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone, which technically is not in the United States. Which, technically, could be viewed as making him ineligible to be president by constitutional rule. It seems to have only been noticed in Washington. I’m surprised there isn’t more buzz in the Conspiracy Theory Asylum. Apparently, his birth was not posted in public records (although there is a birth certificate) and his parents never filed the official paperwork supposedly required to affirm U.S. citizenship for a child born to U.S. citizens overseas. McCain’s father was serving in the military at the time. So, conspiracy theorists, who’s the blame for this fiasco if McCain is found ineligible? The Dems? The right-wingers? Both? (Wouldn’t that be something?)

The Senate passed a unanimous statement affirming McCain a U.S. citizen. Except it’s nonbinding. Chances are it’ll end up a big nothing.

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Dave Wilson is the Grand Pooh-Bah of Editorial Content at DelMio.com, a site developed by SunLit Communications LLC. He also is at times janitor, chauffeur, chief cook and bottle washer. Once upon a time he was a metro editor and copy editor at the Akron Beacon Journal. Send love letters and trash talk to dave.wilson@delmio.com. Or post a comment. Whatever.

Citizen McCain, first published in 2002, is back for another run in this election year. Spiffed up with a new cover and “A new introduction by the author,” Elizabeth Drew, the book recounts McCain’s fight to push election reform through Congress in 2001, then making many high-profile appearances in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Some reviewers found the account of the various events surrounding the reform fight tedious and they thought Drew fawned a bit too much over the senator. (One reviewer mocked him as being kind to small children and puppy dogs.) Others were impressed with his maverick “can-do” attitude and desire for “change” (sound familiar?) in how Washington does business.

Folks who want a close-up look at how McCain built coalitions (seven years ago, anyway) can get it with Citizen McCain.

Citizen McCain, ISBN 9781416593171, is available in stores and online.

To learn more, CLICK HERE.

BONUS: John McCain’s citizenship, eligibility for presidency challenged. (Conspiracy theorists: Enjoy)

To buy, CLICK HERE.

So, Cindy McCain, the secretive recluse wife of wood-be prez John McCain, has backed out of a deal to write her memoir (no doubt rivaling Miley Cyrus in depth of experience), probably out of concern that it would cause more damage than help. I knew a young woman whose name, swear to God, was Candy McCain. Waitress at the Bethel Road Cooker in Columbus (Ohio, which seems odd to think it necessary to include the state of a city with roughly a million people). As far as I know, no relation. To John McCain, that is. Or Cindy.

For the record, we have assigned John McCain’s book, Faith of My Fathers, as an official Exploration here at DelMio. I promise we’ll have it done before November, book fans and McCain fans. We outsmarted ourselves early in the race, thinking Rudy Giuliani would run away from the field. Jeez.

I liked McCain a lot more before he morphed into a Jerry-Fallwell’s-ring-kissing right-wing toadie after he got Bushwhacked in 2000 by dirtball politics. He once referred to Falwell, Pat Robertson and their ilk as “agents of division.” He was right then. But then he flip-flopped! He seems stunningly tone-deaf, veering off to the right just as Bush’s approval ratings swirl ever lower in the political crapper — although he did just come out vowing to fight global warming, which sent Rush Lintball into a tizzy today. I love it when he gets all apoplectic. Such great theater. Alas, so many dittoheads out there actually believe him and his half-baked half-truths, which are harder to detect than outright lies.

The conservatives don’t trust McCain because of his “maverick” reputation, and the libs can’t get past the war in Iraq. Or his health care “plan.” Or his stand on abortion. Or his justice-nomination votes. If it weren’t for Hillary and Barack still exchanging body blows in their Democratic Smackdown, I can’t imagine how McCain would be competitive with either Clinton or Obama. The press (even the left-wing drive-by MSM) loves it, because it breaks the monotony of a slow news day.

But enough of politics. Nice weather today, huh?

Dave Wilson is the Grand Pooh-Bah of Editorial Content at DelMio.com, a site developed by SunLit Communications LLC. He also is at times janitor, chauffeur, chief cook and bottle washer. Once upon a time he was a metro editor and copy editor at the Akron Beacon Journal. Send love letters and trash talk to dave.wilson@delmio.com. Or post a comment.

Living History provides Hillary Clinton with a 566-page opportunity to describe her roller coaster ride as a bright young lawyer and working mother whose husband rose through the ranks of Arkansas state government, only to win two terms in the grand prize of American politics – the presidency. This book gives the reader a detailed, insider’s look at the high-stakes, power-driven world of political warfare. It makes for fascinating reading and more than justifies Hillary’s claim that her life is a work of Living History in progress.

Click Here for the Exploration

After a rough and sometimes bitter primary campaign, Barack Obama has presumably won the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.
In Obama’s “The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream,” the 46-year-old Illinois senator employs a love of American history and law to lay out his vision for how to restore faith in our economic and political systems.

Click Here for the Exploration