The Restless Wave (John McCain)

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These are takeaways from this book.

Firstly, Service, Character, and the Reckoning of a Final Chapter, At the center of The Restless Wave is McCain’s ethic of service, refined by hardship and illuminated by the urgency of a life-threatening illness. He writes about duty as a daily discipline rather than a slogan, shaped by the example of his family, his years as a naval officer, and the crucible of captivity in Vietnam. Facing brain cancer, he refuses self-pity and frames mortality as a clarifying lens: it tightens focus on what endures and strips away the appetite for petty fights. This reckoning produces a memoir that admits errors, defends convictions, and seeks to leave an honest ledger. He emphasizes that courage can be quiet, that compromise can be noble, and that public life must elevate national interest above partisan gain. By revisiting successes and regrets alike, he models accountability as a civic virtue. The result is not a victory lap, but a final effort to affirm the character traits he believes sustain a free people: humility, persistence, and a willingness to sacrifice for something larger than self.

Secondly, Allies, the Liberal Order, and the Case Against Isolationism, McCain argues that American leadership is most effective when anchored in alliances, shared values, and steady commitments. He defends the postwar liberal order as a strategic and moral framework that restrains aggression, supports human rights, and advances prosperity. NATO, he insists, is not charity; it is a force multiplier that prevents costlier wars by deterring adversaries. He warns that retreat into nationalism or transaction-only diplomacy invites instability and emboldens authoritarians. Drawing on years of oversight travel, he recounts meetings with dissidents, soldiers, and allies who bet their safety on American promises. Abandoning those promises, he argues, damages credibility in ways that take decades to repair. He embraces engagement not as naive idealism, but as hardheaded realism: values are tools of statecraft as surely as aircraft carriers are. The book urges readers to see refugees, sanctions, and aid as instruments that project both power and principle, and to resist the false choice between caring about the world and protecting interests at home.

Thirdly, War, Torture, and the Hard Lessons of Force, From Hanoi to Baghdad and beyond, McCain weighs the costs of war with a veteran’s sobriety and a policymaker’s responsibility. He recounts how captivity taught him the moral and strategic futility of torture, and he champions absolute bans to protect both American honor and the safety of captured troops. He revisits contentious decisions on Iraq and Afghanistan, including his support for the surge, arguing that half-measures and wishful timelines squander lives and leverage. In Syria, he condemns hesitation that allowed atrocities and strengthened adversaries. Yet he also underscores restraint: the power to use force carries a duty to exhaust diplomacy, rally allies, and define achievable ends. He respects the judgment of those who disagree, but insists that clarity of purpose must guide any intervention, from rules of engagement to the day after the shooting stops. The through line is stark: war is sometimes necessary, never clean, always costly, and it demands leaders who will level with citizens about risks and responsibilities.

Fourthly, Politics, Bipartisanship, and the Work of the Senate, The memoir doubles as a primer on how a functioning legislature should act. McCain celebrates regular order, hearings, and amendments as guardrails against impulsive policymaking. He recounts immigration talks, defense debates, and the dramatic health care repeal vote, where he sided with deliberation and improvements over a rushed partisan win. Bipartisanship, in his telling, is not mushy centrism but the art of advancing principles through negotiation with legitimate opponents. He profiles colleagues across the aisle to show that respect enables progress and that personal relationships can break procedural gridlock. Campaigns are necessary, he admits, but governing requires patience and a tolerance for imperfect outcomes. McCain also reflects on mistakes, including moments when political pressures narrowed his options, and he urges younger lawmakers to choose institutional strength over short-term advantage. The Senate, if it remembers its role, can refine passions into policy. If it forgets, it becomes a stage for outrage rather than a workshop for solutions.

Lastly, Authoritarians, Truth, and the Defense of Democratic Norms, McCain warns that the gravest threats to a republic can emerge from within: contempt for truth, disdain for rivals, and the normalization of cruelty. He details Russia’s aggression and interference as part of a broader authoritarian playbook that exploits division and rewards cynicism. The antidote, he argues, is a civic culture that prizes facts, free press, independent institutions, and the courage to dissent even when it costs. He explains how tribal politics erode guardrails, turning opponents into enemies and compromise into betrayal. Public servants must resist that logic, and citizens must demand better. He calls for candor from leaders, decency in public debate, and a renewed commitment to the idea that character matters. Patriotism, in this view, is loyalty to ideals, not to personalities. The book closes on a call to reject apathy and fear, insisting that democracies survive when enough people decide, day after day, to tell the truth and to do the harder right rather than the easier wrong.