By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Thursday, May 01, 2008 4:20 PM PT
*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 coifed 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.
<http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=294534769646624>
Mrs. McCain: More than meets the eye.
While Obama's wife has been hating America, complaining about the war and
undermining our troops serving in Iraq and 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 McCains 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 McCains want to make sure their boys get no special treatment. Same goes
for their five other children, including a daughter they adopted from
Bangladesh. 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
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.
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.
Michelle Obama may contribute to CARE, which fights global poverty and works
to empower poor women. Cindy sits on its board.
While the Democrat women talk about helping the poor and needy, Cindy McCain
actually rolls up her sleeves and does it. Who's the out-of-touch elitist?
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