Wallace’s latest book was a paperback version of his 2000 “Rolling Stone” magazine profile of Republican presidential contender John McCain, titled “McCain’s Promise: Aboard the Straight Talk Express With John McCain and a Whole Bunch of Actual Reporters, Thinking About Hope.” “McCain himself has obviously changed; his flipperoos and weaselings on Roe v. Wade, campaign finance, the toxicity of lobbyists, Iraq timetables, etc. are just some of what make him a less interesting, more depressing political figure now — for me, at least,” he told the Wall Street Journal.