Now that John McCain is the “presumptive” Republican nominee for president, we are to wonder what kind of president he might be. This book centers on McCain’s relationship with his grandfather, father, the Navy, the Naval Academy and his time as a prisoner of war. These formative years are very important to understanding one’s personality especially a president.

The most influential book on presidential personality was "The Presidential Character," written by James David Barber in 1972. Barber looks at the developmental stages of a person’s life to explain why presidents are Active or Passive, concerning how much energy they expend on the job, and whether they are Positive or Negative, concerning their attitude to the job as president. I do not want to go into the details of Barber’s methodology but only want to emphasize the importance of one’s upbringing as a determinant of one’s adult character and personality.

John McCain was born into a Navy family and knew his life would entail serving in the Navy himself. McCain even laments that he never had a choice about going into the Navy; he was just expected to follow his father and grandfather. McCain’s father and grandfather were the only father-son pair to both rise to the position of admiral. Both men had distinguished careers despite being less than conventional military men. McCain’s grandfather was relieved of command near the end of WWII and his father, who rose to be Commander of the Pacific Fleet during Vietnam, also had problems with discipline and drinking. Both men were considered great officers but put the Navy first, before their families. Neither would be considered an example of a dutiful father.

John, in many ways, followed the example of his father. He did not take the easy or conventional path in life. As a child, John was constantly moving to where ever the Navy sent his father (John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone when his father was stationed there creating a slight fuss about whether he is a natural born American as required for president in the Constitution). In order to fit in to his new surroundings, McCain would pick fights or challenge authority as a means to show his mettle. At the Naval Academy, McCain was “arrogant, nonconformist” and known for his “insubordination and rebellion.” These are hardly the traits for a successful officer. Due to his poor academic work and many demotions, John McCain graduated near the bottom of his class at the Academy.

Despite the rebellion, the Academy, along with his fathers, instilled important values into young John. “The most important lesson I learned [at the Academy] was that to sustain my self-respect for a lifetime it would be necessary for me to have the honor of serving something greater than my self-interest.”

“The sanctity of personal honor was the only lesson my father felt necessary to impart to me … [H]e had implored me not to lie, cheat, or steal; to be fair with friend and stranger alike; to respect my superiors and my subordinates; to know my duty and devote myself to its accomplishment without hesitation or complaint.” (The quote from McCain’s father is reminisce of Lord Polonius’ advice to his son Laertes.) These values served John McCain well while serving the many years of torture and humiliation at the hands of the North Vietnamese, as is graphically described in the book.

What kind of president will John McCain be is not certain, but we can understand his personality better by looking at the formative experiences and people in his early life. His father, the Naval Academy, his service in Vietnam and his ordeal as a prisoner of war are all insights that provide a glimpse into what we may expect from John McCain if he is elected.

Go Yotes.

Dr. Jasper M. LiCalzi
Professor
Department of Political Economy
The College of Idaho