Ernest Hemingway was never terribly active politically nor was he an avid fan of politicians in general. There is one 2008 presidential candidate, however, who has revealed that he is a great admirer of a Hemingway protagonist, a protagonist he calls "My No. 1 hero of all time!"

In 2007, John McCain said: "I am an incurable idealist and romantic. Robert Jordan is everything I ever wanted to be. I read that book at age 13 and now at age 70. Nothing's changed." The book McCain is referring to is Ernest Hemingway's 1940 classic, For Whom the Bell Tolls. McCain titled his own 2002 memoir, Worth the Fighting For, a phrase from the last chapter of For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Ernest Hemingway once told Lillian Ross that "As you get older, it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary." John McCain would definitely agree with this statement. Now at age 71 and in the midst of his second presidential bid, his wish of "aspiring to Jordan's courage and nobility" is as important and as necessary as ever before.