Cindy McCain

This is a summary from interesting articles in the Wall Street Journal on Cindy McCain, John's wife, as not much was known about her.

see: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/03/26/cindy-mccain-visits-kosovo/
and http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/04/30/cindy-mccain-to-pen-memoir/


Mrs. McCain: More than meets the eye.

Election 2008: Cindy Hensley McCain has been disparaged as a trophy wife, a Barbie, an heiress with fancy purses, even the Paris Hilton of politics. But there's more to the picture than meets the eye.

Yes, Mrs. McCain is the perfectly coiffed blonde standing dutifully behind the senator during his speeches. And yes, she wears stylish clothing and carries a Prada purse. And it's true she doesn't say much. But feminist critics who write her off as a 'stand-by-your-man ' shrinking violet are selling her short. In many ways, Cindy McCain stacks up sturdier than Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama. And she'd make a more impressive first lady.

While Obama's wife has been hating America , complaining about the war and undermining our troops serving in Afghanistan; McCain's wife has been worrying about her sons who actually are fighting or planning to fight in the war on terror. One, in fact, was until a few months ago deployed in Iraq during some of the worst violence. You don't hear the McCain's talk about it, but their 19-year-old Marine, Jimmy, is preparing for his second tour of duty. Their 21-year-old son, Jack, is poised to graduate from Annapolis and also could join the Marines as a second lieutenant. The couple made the decision not to draw attention to their sons out of respect for other families with sons and daughters in harm's way.

Cindy also says she doesn't want to risk falling apart on the campaign trail talking about Jimmy who was so young when he enlisted, she had to sign consent forms for his medical tests before he could report for duty and potentially upsetting parents of soldiers who are serving or have been killed.

The McCain's want to make sure their boys get no special treatment. Same goes for their five other children, including a daughter they adopted from Bangladesh in 1991. During a visit to Mother Teresa's orphanage there, Cindy noticed a dying baby. The orphanage could not provide the medical care needed to save her life. So she brought the child home to America for the surgery she desperately needed. The baby is now their healthy, 16-year-old daughter, Bridget. They have a Family Foundation for children's causes.

Though all seven McCain children including two Sen. McCain adopted from his first marriage are supportive of their father, they prefer their privacy to the glare of the campaign trail. Another daughter, Meghan, 23, helps him behind the scenes.

Cindy McCain not only cherishes her children, but also her country, which in an election year filled with America-bashing, is a refreshing novelty. She seethed when she heard Michelle Obama's unpatriotic remarks that she only recently grew proud of America. 'I am very proud of my country,' Mrs. McCain asserted.

She also may be tougher than the other women in the race. While Hillary thinks she's come under sniper fire on mission trips abroad, Cindy has actually seen violence. She witnessed a boy get blown up by a mine in Kuwait during a trip with an international group that removes land mines from war-torn countries.
She's active with 'Halo Trust' - to clear land mines, provide water and food in war ravaged and developing countries. She is involved around the world clearing land mines - travels to these countries on a detonation team and service on their board.

Mrs. McCain also is a hands-on philanthropist. She sits on the board of Operation Smile, which arranges for plastic surgeons to fix cleft palates and other birth defects. She also has helped organize relief missions to Micronesia.

During a scuba-diving vacation to the islands, Mrs. McCain took a friend to a local hospital to have a cut treated. She was shocked, and saddened, by what she saw. 'They opened the door to the OR, where the supplies were, and there were two cats and a whole bunch of rats climbing out of the sterile supplies,' she recalled. 'They had no X-ray machine, no beds. To me, it was devastating because it was a U.S. trust territory.' As soon as she returned home, she arranged for medical equipment and teams of doctors to be sent to treat the island children.

Cindy sits on CARE's board, which fights global poverty and works to empower poor women.

She graduated from Southern Cal and was a special-needs teacher. She has a masters degree in special education.

After her Dad died she became involved with his beer distributing firm and is now the chairwoman. Sales have doubled since she has taken over.

Raised kids in Phoenix, AZ rather than Washington DC.(better atmosphere) He commuted."

I'm surprised the media is so quiet about her attributes. She sounds more capable than Hillary or Obama. We would really get two for the price of one. A person with business and international experience. John did work for the firm for a while when he left the Navy. She, however, has the real business experience.

While the Democrat women talk about helping the poor and needy, Cindy McCain actually rolls up her sleeves and does it.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the democrats are very charitable too, Biden gave $300 to charity last year, wasn't he generous? In case you forgot, the dems are charitable when it is not their money.