“Game Change” depicts the McCains as a warring couple, fraying under the pressure of a relentless campaign.
“The McCains fought in front of others, during small meetings and before large events, to the amazement and discomfort of the staff,” the authors write. Cindy McCain was so distressed by the campaign, they allege, that she accused her husband of ruining her life and told him she never wanted him to run for president again, according to a 2011 New York Times review.
The marital discord was palpable, write Heilemann and Halperin. “When it came time to film campaign videos of the couple, the camera crews had to roll for hours to capture a few minutes of warmth.”
