Biography:
John McCain, after a career in the U.S. Navy and two terms as a U.S. representative (1982-86), was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 and re-elected in 1992 and 1998. He ran for President in 2008 against Barack Obama. Senator McCain currently serves on the following Senate Committees during the 112th Congress: Ranking Member on the Senate Armed Services Committee; Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Committee on Indian Affairs. He is the author of several books, including Faith of My Fathers, Worth the Fighting For, Why Courage Matters, character is Destiny, and Hard Call. He has seven children and four grandchildren. He and his wife, Cindy, reside in Phoenix.
Mark Salter is an American speechwriter from Davenport, Iowa, known for his collaborations with United States Senator John McCain on several nonfiction books as well as on political speeches. Salter has also served as McCain's chief of staff for a while, although he had left that position by 2008. Salter has often been referred to as McCain's "alter ego".
During the John McCain presidential campaign, 2008 the Wall Street Journal wrote that "When it comes to Sen. McCain's image, Mr. Salter, 53 years old, is the campaign's chief creator, shaper and enforcer. For two decades, he has been the presumed Republican nominee's speechwriter, adviser and confidant.