Cindy McCain is perfect for first lady By Frances Owens and Monica Owens
As John McCain marches towards the presidency, he has relied on the support of his wife, Cindy. There is no doubt she is at the heart of her husband's campaign, and we would like Coloradans to know Cindy Hensley McCain as we have learned to know her.
Cindy has dedicated her life to improving the lives of the less fortunate, both in the United States and around the world. Yet despite her humanitarian background, little media attention has been given to Mrs. McCain.
As an advocate for children's health care needs, Cindy founded and ran the American Voluntary Medical Team (AVMT) from 1988 to 1995. Cindy led 55 medical missions to Third World and war-torn countries. On one of those missions, Mother Teresa convinced Cindy to take two babies in need of medical attention from Bangladesh to the United States. One of those babies is the McCain's adopted daughter, 16-year-old Bridget McCain.
In recent years, three organizations in particular have been the subject of her international focus: HALO, a non-profit organization dedicated to land mine removal and weapons destruction in war-torn countries; Operation Smile, a non-profit organization whose mission is to repair cleft lips; and CARE, which works to fight global poverty, particularly among women.
In addition to her humanitarian work, Cindy is the chairman of her family's business, Hensley & Company, which is one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the country.
Mrs. McCain is not only married to an American hero, she is the mother of two — her sons, Jack and Jimmy, both of whom are serving our country in the military.
Jack is attending his fourth year at the U.S. Naval Academy and hopes to become a naval aviator, and Jimmy, a Marine, whose unit had been deployed to Iraq in 2007, has recently returned home.
Her sophisticated presence, her compassion and her resilience are just a few of the reasons why Cindy McCain would be an amazing first lady — a woman who would make us proud to have her in the White House.
Frances Owens is a former Colorado first lady. Monica Owens is her daughter.
Tags: america, cindy, experience, hero, humble, john, mccain, pow, president, war
Comment
-
Comment by Dr. Rich Swier on August 10, 2008 at 1:54pm -
Alan,
I hope President McCain signs legislation, passed by Congress, to lower the tax on beer. This is the working man's beverage.
Great that he takes money from one of America's premiere and oldest industries - beer! Were it not for beer we would all be drinking lattes.
-
Comment by Alan Tannenbaum on August 10, 2008 at 1:50pm -
Alcohol industry ties may test McCain
Concerns on taxes, drinking age raised
Email|Print| Text size – + By Michael Kranish
Globe Staff / March 9, 2008
PHOENIX - The Anheuser-Busch distribution plant stretches for acres, capped by a giant Budweiser sign gleaming in the desert sun. It is here that much of the fortune of Senator John McCain's family is made. His wife, Cindy, is chairwoman of the board. His son from his first marriage, Andrew, is chief financial officer. McCain himself once served as the company's chief publicist.
McCain, acknowledging the appearance of a conflict of interest, has recused himself from voting in Congress on alcohol-related matters ranging from the drinking age to the beer tax.
But if McCain were to become president, he would be obliged to either sign or veto bills related to the alcohol industry. And while some public-interest groups have applauded McCain for trying to avoid a conflict in Congress, some industry watchdogs are concerned that if McCain is elected president, he may have to pass judgment on a new series of alcohol-related measures.
Already, the beer industry is lobbying heavily to rescind a 1991 beer-tax hike. There is also a movement to lower federal guidelines on the drinking age.
"It would not be helpful to have a president from Anheuser-Busch," said George Hacker, director of the alcohol policies project at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit advocacy group. Hacker said he fears federal regulators might become aware of McCain's industry ties and therefore go easy on beer distributors.
McCain's spokeswoman, Jill Hazelbaker, said she could not speculate on how the McCain family would handle the business if he became president. Officials at Hensley & Co., the family-owned beer distributorship overseen by Cindy McCain, declined interview requests.
Jan Baran, the former general counsel of the Republican National Committee, said there is no legal requirement to divest any assets.
"Obviously he is going to want to exercise the power of presidency, but he is not going to want to make any acts that unjustly enrich himself or his family," Baran said.
An analysis published last September by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, calculated John and Cindy McCain's assets at $44 million, making McCain the ninth wealthiest member of Congress. While McCain has a prenuptial agreement that he will not control his wife's assets, the Senate financial disclosure form lumps spousal assets together.
The alcohol lobby is one of the most influential in Washington. Although McCain has recused himself on alcohol issues, he has not refused the industry's money. Out of all candidates for all federal offices in 2008 - the White House, Senate, and House - McCain has received more alcohol industry money than all but two.
The top recipient was Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, with $210,750, followed by former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani with $186,725 and McCain with $152,725, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. In addition, the analysis showed that McCain was the top recipient among federal candidates of money from Anheuser-Busch, the company that supplies beer to his wife's firm.
© 2010 Created by SarasotaLocal
You need to be a member of Sarasota Local to add comments!
Join Sarasota Local