Cindy McCain for First Lady

I was reading a thread in a Christian forum today (on FaithWriters) regarding the upcoming Presidential election. I was shocked at a certain girl’s extremely mean-spirited and ill-informed opinions. One of the nasty things she had to say about John McCain (along with that he is an atheist, which he definitely is not and other such things) is this, “McCain cheated on his wife [my note: meaning ex-wife and btw, ex-wife is promoting and presumably voting for John] and asked her for a divorce so he can marry a barbie doll. (my source came from wikipedia if anyone is interested)”. Needless to say, this incensed me greatly and I found I had to respond. The following was my response.

As a person from Phoenix, I can assure you I am proud of and admire this “Barbie doll” very much. It would be great if the rest of us would put our money, and our actions, where our mouths are. Yes, she is an heiress, but her father grew up poor, worked hard and created his wealth. He too was a war hero, serving in WWII and being shot down multiple times. It seems as though the McCain family actually lives the Scripture Luke 12:48, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Yes this post is very long, but informative should you choose to read it. This info was verified through Snopes.

~~~

There was an article recently in the Wall Street Journal on Cindy McCain, John’s wife. Most people only ever see an attractive woman standing beside John. It may be surprising to them how talented and involved with world problems she is. This is a summary of that article. She graduated from Southern Cal and was a special-needs teacher.

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 from her father.

They have a marriage prenuptial agreement, her assets remain separate.

She is involved around the world clearing land mines – travels to these countries on a detonation team and serves on their board.

They have a 19 year old son serving in Iraq, and another son in the Naval Academy, a daughter recently graduated from Columbia University, an adopted daughter in high school, and a son who is the finance guy at the beer firm.

They raised their kids in Phoenix, rather than D.C and he commuted.

In 1991, Mrs. McCain came across a girl in an orphanage in Bangladesh. Mother Teresa implored Mrs. McCain to take the baby with a severe cleft palate. She did so without first telling her husband. The couple adopted the girl who has had a dozen operations to repair her cleft palate and other medical problems.

They have a Family Foundation for children’s causes.

She’s active with “Halo Trust” – to clear land mines, provide water and food in war ravaged and developing countries.

She will join an overseas mission of “Operation Smile”, a charity for corrective surgery on children’s faces. She has had two back surgeries and became addicted to pain killers. She talks openly about it which she says is part of the recovery process.

Personally, I’m not surprised the media is so quiet about her attributes. They have tried to discredit John McCain because of his wife’s wealth. It looks as if she knows how to put money and time to use in many good causes. What a novel thought to have such a fine person as the “First Spouse”. She sounds more capable than Hillary or Obama. If John McCain gets elected, we would really get two for the price of one. A person with business and international experience.


Further…


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.

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 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 . 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 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?