In February 2000 John McCain was widely perceived as the voice of hope in American presidential politics: the anti-candidate, the harbinger of change, the straight talker whose vigor and apparent authenticity were winning him support among disaffected voters from both parties and especially from young Americans. David Foster Wallace, commissioned by Rolling Stone to profile the candidate, reported back from the front lines in a characteristically potent blast of journalistic brio. McCAIN'S PROMISE not only captures the lunatic rough-and-tumble of a presidential campaign but also delivers a compelling inquiry into John McCain himself - the Senator, the P.O.W., the campaign finance reformer, the American hero, the candidate, the man.