Huffington Magazine Issue 42 | Page 41

AP PHOTO/SUSAN WALSH AGING BULL banner in 2008. And his reemergence gives the war hero and former Vietnam prisoner of war an opportunity to be remembered at the end of his career for things other than a disappointing presidential run that associated him indelibly with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who he chose as his running mate. McCain knows he is living out the closing chapters of a storied career. During our interview, he spoke frankly about his current role in politics, and his clashes HUFFINGTON 03.31.13 with the Obama administration and members of his own party. And he expressed concern that he not overstay his welcome in the Senate, raising questions about whether he intends to run for reelection in 2016 at age 80. But he is also a restless soul, who cannot stand still for long. McCain wrote in his 2002 book, Worth the Fighting For, that one of his favorite quotes came from his mentor, former Sen. John Tower (R-Texas). “Son, don’t let your shirttail hit you in the ass. Keep running,” Tower used to say. McCain told me it was this sort of mindset that helped keep him McCain addresses Chuck Hagel (center) during the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Hagel’s Secretary of Defense nomination.