‘McCain:
The Essential Guide to the Republican Nominee’
by Mark Silva
‘Obama:
The Essential Guide to the Democratic Nominee’
by Naftali Bendavid
Both ©2008 • Triumph Books • $14.95
each • 127 pages each
Got change?
If you’re undecided this November, you’ll need it. Heads: you vote
for this duo; tails: you vote for that duo. Both candidates have talked about “change”
at one point or another, and you’re glad you’ve got a pocketful of it.
So what does a thinking adult do in an election year like this
one? First, you find a copy of “McCain:
The Essential Guide to the Republican Nominee” by Mark Silva and a copy of “Obama:
The Essential Guide to the Democratic Nominee” by Naftali Bendavid. Then, you
settle in and get educated.
As the son and grandson of Navy men, it wasn’t hard for John
Sidney McCain III to choose a career in the service. Long before his years as a
Navy pilot, though, McCain was known as a rebel who would fight with anyone who
provoked him. His tenacious personality served him well when he was shot down
over Vietnam in 1967 and imprisoned in a prisoner-of-war camp. When beaten for
information, he reportedly gave his captors highly important data: the names of
the Green Bay Packers line-up.
Released from captivity in 1973, McCain continued with his Navy
career. In 1982, a year after his retirement, he ran for Congress for the first
time.
McCain maintains a commitment to the War on Terror. He wants to
see federal taxes simplified. He hates “pork-barrel spending” and he pledges to
fix Social Security and the housing crisis.
When Stanley Ann Dunham, born in Kansas, fell in love with Barack
Obama Sr., a native of Kenya, everyone was surprised. Stanley Ann never seemed
interested in marriage or motherhood, but within a year of meeting Barack Sr.,
their son, Barack Hussein Obama, Jr., was born in Hawaii.
Raised in different cultures on different continents, the younger
Obama started his career as an activist working for Chicago’s South Side
community. Wanting to do more, he attended Harvard, then returned to Chicago
with an eye toward his dream job: governor of Illinois. Instead, in 1997, Obama
entered the Illinois State Senate.
Obama wants to increase the size of the Army and the Marines, and
he calls for a timetable for withdrawal of troops from Iraq. He pledges to
create new jobs through cleaner energy. He’s also promised to crack down on
mortgage fraud.
Written by Chicago Tribune staff members, both “Essential Guides”
include biographies of the candidates, their careers and platforms. What’s most
interesting about these books is the inclusion of scandals and controversies
that both candidates have been embroiled in as well as their personal
struggles. Chapters about the candidates’ wives and families also are
interesting.
The multitude of information in both books make them comprehensive
overviews for any voter who is undecided, confused or just wants to know more
before heading to the polls.
With that in
mind, pick up “McCain: The Essential Guide to the Republican Nominee” and “Obama:
The Essential Guide to the Democratic Nominee” and leave the coins at home.
With these two books in hand, the change you’ll need is the one you’ll get by
voting.