The Restless Wave (book)

The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights, and Other Appreciations is a 2018 book by American politician John McCain and his frequent collaborator and former staff member Mark Salter. It is a personal memoir looking at McCain's last ten years or so in the Senate, and his 2008 campaign for the presidency against Barack Obama. As such it is the final volume of an autobiographical trilogy that also comprises Faith of My Fathers (1999) and Worth the Fighting For (2002). It also covers his work on behalf of democracy and human rights in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The work's title comes from the second line of the naval hymn "Eternal Father, Strong to Save", reflecting McCain's career as a naval aviator. It contains 10 chapters including Arab Spring and Regular order.

The full list of chapters are:

Making reference to one of the subjects of the book, McCain writes of President Donald Trump:

His lack of empathy for refugees, innocent, persecuted, desperate men, women, and children, is disturbing. The way he speaks about them is appalling, as if welfare or terrorism were the only purposes they could have in coming to our country. He has declined to distinguish the actions of our government from the crimes of despotic ones. The appearance of toughness, or a reality show facsimile of toughness, seems to matter more than any of our values. The world expects us to be concerned with the condition of humanity. We should be proud of that reputation. I'm not sure the president understands that.

About his own political philosophy, McCain writes,

Last but not least, I was [at the time of entering Congress] a Republican, a Reagan Republican. Still am. Not a Tea Party Republican. Not a Breitbart Republican. Not a talk radio or Fox News Republican. Not an isolationist, protectionist, immigrant-bashing, scapegoating, get-nothing-useful-done Republican. Not, as I am often dismissed by self-declared 'real' conservatives, a RINO, Republican in Name Only. I'm a Reagan Republican, a proponent of lower taxes, less government, free markets, free trade, defense readiness, and democratic internationalism.

The book was begun as a collaboration between McCain and Salter regarding foreign policy and national security. Agreement with the publisher was reached in February 2017 but no public announcement was made. The tentative title was It's Always Darkest Before It's Totally Black, one of McCain's trademark sardonicisms.

But McCain's July 2017 diagnosis of glioblastoma changed that, and it became more of a reflective, contemplative, personal memoir. As Salter said, "He wanted it to be more personal, and to convey just how fortunate he believed he was for being able to serve this country for 60 years. What America means to him and what he thinks America means to the world, and what he hopes it will continue to mean to the world after he's gone." Salter traveled to McCain's ranch outside Sedona, Arizona to work on a memorable speech McCain gave forth unto the Senate floor, as well as the book.