Cindy McCain

Cindy Lou Hensley McCain (born May 20, 1954) is an American businesswoman, and philanthropist, and the wife of United States Senator and 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain of Arizona.

She was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, as the daughter of wealthy beer distributor Jim Hensley. After receiving bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Southern California, she became a special education teacher. She married John McCain in 1980 and they had three children together, in addition to adopting another. From 1988 to 1995, she founded and operated a nonprofit organization, the American Voluntary Medical Team, which organized trips by medical personnel to disaster-stricken or war-torn third-world areas. During this time, she became addicted to painkillers for several years and resorted to having a physician write illegal prescriptions on her behalf. She reached an agreement with the government in which no charges were filed against her.

Upon her father's death in 2000, she inherited majority control and became chair of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hensley_%26_Co. Hensley & Co.], one of the largest Anheuser-Busch beer distributors in the United States. She participated in both of her husband's presidential campaigns and, in 2008, drew both positive and negative scrutiny for her appearance, demeanor, wealth, spending habits, and financial obligations. She continues to be an active philanthropist and serves on the boards of Operation Smile,Eastern Congo Initiative, CARE and HALO Trust, frequently making overseas trips in conjunction with their activities. She has also been active in the fight against human trafficking.



Contents
[hide]  *1 Early life and education  ==Early life and education[ edit] == Cindy Lou Hensley was born in Phoenix, Arizona,[4]  to James Hensley, who founded [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hensley_%26_Co. Hensley & Co.],[5]  and Marguerite "Smitty" Hensley (née Johnson).[4] [6] [7] She was raised as the only child of her parents' second marriages[8]  and grew up on Phoenix's North Central Avenue in affluent circumstances.[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-tapper_9-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Scheiber_10-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  (Dixie L. Burd, who is the daughter of Marguerite Smith through a prior relationship, is her half-sister,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Argetsinger-Roberts_11-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]  as is Kathleen Hensely Portalski, daughter of Jim Hensley and his first wife, Mary Jeanne Parks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Argetsinger-Roberts_11-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-npr081808_12-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12] ) Cindy Hensley was named Junior Rodeo Queen of Arizona in 1968.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt062907_14-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  She went to Central High School<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-usa-10_8-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8]  in Phoenix, where she was named Best Dressed as a senior and graduated in 1972.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nykr-levy_2-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15]
 * 2 Marriage and family
 * 3 American Voluntary Medical Team
 * 3.1 Founding and mission
 * 3.2 Adoption
 * 3.3 Prescription drug addiction
 * 3.4 Aftermath
 * 4 Role in 2000 presidential campaign
 * 5 Between presidential campaigns
 * 6 Role in 2008 presidential campaign
 * 7 Subsequent life
 * 8 Notes
 * 9 External links

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Hensley enrolled at the University of Southern California.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-troj120999_16-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16]  She joined the socially conservative Kappa Alpha Theta sorority as a freshman,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Scheiber_10-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-17" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  and had many leadership roles in the house during her four years there.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-troj120999_16-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16]  Hensley graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in education in 1976.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-trib-bio_1-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-troj120999_16-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16]  She continued on at USC, and received a Master of Arts in special education in 1978.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-trib-bio_1-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nykr-levy_2-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  There she participated in a movement therapy pilot program that laid the way for a standard treatment for children with severe disabilities;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mcc2008-bio_18-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18]  she published the work Movement Therapy: A Possible Approach in 1978.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-19" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19]  Declining a role in the family business,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt030200_20-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]  she worked for a year as a special education teacher dealing with children with Down syndrome and other disabilities at Agua Fria High School in Avondale, Arizona.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nykr-levy_2-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-aas030908_4-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mcc2008-bio_18-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18] ==Marriage and family<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == Cindy McCain, at christening ofUSS John S. McCain, September 1992, with daughter Meghan, son Jack, and husband John at the Bath Iron Works shipyard, Bath, Maine.<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Hensley met John McCain in April 1979 at a military reception in Hawaii.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kristof_21-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  He was the U.S. Navy liaison officer to the United States Senate and almost eighteen years her senior.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bazaar_22-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]  McCain and Hensley quickly began a relationship,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bazaar_22-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]  traveling between Arizona and Washington to see each other.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  John McCain then pushed to end his marriage of fourteen years;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kristof_21-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  Carol McCain and John McCain stopped cohabiting in January 1980,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-lat071108_23-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[23]  and Carol accepted a divorce in February 1980,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kristof_21-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  effective in April 1980. John and Cindy were married on May 17, 1980 at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  They signed a prenuptial agreement that kept most of her family's assets under her name;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ap041808_24-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24]  they have since kept their finances apart and file separate income tax returns.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ap041808_24-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Her father's business and political contacts helped John McCain to gain a foothold in Arizona politics.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Kristof_21-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[21]  She campaigned with her husband door to door during his successful first bid for U.S. Congress in 1982,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt062907_14-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  and was heavily involved in campaign strategy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Scheiber_10-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  Her wealth from an expired trust from her parents provided significant loans to the campaign<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-az-arizona_25-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[25] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-26" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[26] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frantz_27-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27]  and helped it survive a period of early debt.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ap040308_28-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Once John McCain was elected, the couple moved to Alexandria, Virginia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo030200_29-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  She spent two months in late 1983 writing handwritten notes on over 4,000 Christmas cards to be sent to constituents and others.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo030200_29-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  She was considered an outsider who was snubbed by the Washington congressional social scene, in part because Carol McCain was a popular figure in town,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt101708c_30-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  and she grew homesick for Arizona.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo030200_29-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  She had several miscarriages.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bazaar_22-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">She moved back to Arizona in early 1984<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  and gave birth to the couple's daughter, Meghan, later that year.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  She subsequently gave birth to sons John Sidney IV (known as "Jack") in 1986 and James (known as "Jimmy") in 1988.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt-bio_31-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]  Their fourth child, Bridget, was adopted in 1991. Cindy McCain's parents lived across the street and helped her raise the children; her husband was frequently in Washington and she typically only saw him on weekends.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bazaar_22-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]  In his absence, she organized elaborate fund-raisers for him and expanded their home.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt101708c_30-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In April 1986, Cindy and her father invested $359,100 in a shopping center project with Phoenix banker Charles Keating.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-9" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  This, combined with her role as a bookkeeper who later had difficulty finding receipts for family trips on Keating's jet,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt030200_20-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]  caused complications for her husband during the Keating Five scandal, when he was being examined for his role regarding oversight of Keating's bank.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-10" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13] ==American Voluntary Medical Team<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == ===Founding and mission<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In 1988, inspired by a vacation that she took four years earlier to substandard medical facilities on Truk Lagoon,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-11" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ct041508_32-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32]  Cindy McCain founded the American Voluntary Medical Team (AVMT).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-trib-bio_1-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1]  It was a non-profit organization that organized trips for doctors, nurses and other medical personnel to provide MASH-like emergency medical care to disaster-struck or war-torn third-world areas such as Micronesia,Vietnam (before relations were normalized between them and the U.S.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ct041508_32-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32] ), Kuwait (arriving five days after the conclusion of the Gulf War<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ct041508_32-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32] ), Zaire (to help refuges from the Rwandan genocide<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt101708c_30-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30] ), Iraq,Nicaragua, India, Bangladesh and El Salvador.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-tapper_9-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-care_33-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-one-life_34-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-alexander_35-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timberg-bio_36-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]  She led 55 of these missions over the next seven years,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mcc2008-bio_18-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18]  each of which were at least two weeks in duration.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-timberg-bio_36-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]  AVMT also supplied treatment to poor sick children around the world.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-feinberg_37-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]  In 1993, Cindy McCain and the AVMT were honored with an award from Food for the Hungry.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-tapper_9-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9] ===Adoption<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In 1991, the AVMT went to Dhaka, Bangladesh to provide assistance following the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-one-life_34-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]  While at Mother Teresa's Dhaka orphanage, the Sisters of Charity of Mother Teresa Children's Home,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38]  McCain met two infant girls she felt needed to be brought to the United States for medical treatment.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bazaar_22-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[22]  She decided to adopt one of the girls, later named Bridget, with her husband readily agreeing;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-tapper_9-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  the adoption became final in 1993.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39]  She helped coordinate the adoption of the other little girl, named Mickey, for family friend Wes Gullett.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-tapper_9-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9] ===Prescription drug addiction<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In 1989, Cindy McCain developed an addiction to Percocet and Vicodin, opioid painkillers, which she initially took to alleviate pain following two spinal surgeries for ruptured discs and to ease emotional stress during the Keating Five affair.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo091208_40-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-az-rebound_41-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-az-rebound_41-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cnn112299_42-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-alexander-more_43-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43]  The addiction progressed to where she was taking upwards of twenty pills a day,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-12" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  and she resorted to having an AVMT physician write illegal prescriptions in the names of three AVMT employees without their knowledge.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-alexander_35-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo091208_40-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]  In 1992, her parents staged an intervention to force her to get help;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt030200_20-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]  she told her husband about her problem, attended a drug treatment facility, began outpatient sessions and ended her three years of addiction.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-az-rebound_41-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  Surgery in 1993 resolved her back pain.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-az-rebound_41-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-alexander-more_43-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In January 1993, Tom Gosinski, an AVMT employee who had discovered her illegal drug use, was terminated on budgetary grounds.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-silverman_44-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  Subsequently, he tipped off the Drug Enforcement Administration about her prior actions and a federal investigation ensued.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo091208_40-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-silverman_44-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  McCain's defense team, led by John McCain's Keating Five lawyer John Dowd, secured an agreement with the U.S. Attorney's office for McCain, a first-time offender, which avoided charges while requiring her to pay financial restitution, enroll in a diversion program and do community service.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-tapper_9-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo091208_40-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-silverman_44-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  Meanwhile, in early 1994, Gosinski filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against McCain, in which he alleged she ordered him to conceal "improper acts" and "misrepresent facts in a judicial proceeding"; he told her he would settle for $250,000.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo091208_40-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-az-rebound_41-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  In response, Dowd characterized this request as blackmail, and requested Maricopa County attorney Rick Romley to investigate Gosinski for extortion.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo091208_40-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-silverman_44-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[44]  In the end, Gosinski's credibility was undermined by testimony in Romley's report from other charity staffers who asserted Gosinski privately vowed to blackmail McCain were he ever fired,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-az-rebound_41-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  and both Gosinski's lawsuit and the extortion investigation against him were dropped.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo091208_40-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Knowing that prosecutors were about to publicly disclose her past addiction, McCain preemptively revealed the story to reporters, saying that she was doing so willingly: "Although my conduct did not result in compromising any missions of AVMT, my actions were wrong, and I regret them ... if what I say can help just one person to face the problem, it's worthwhile."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-tapper_9-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo091208_40-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-az-rebound_41-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41] ===Aftermath<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] === <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">AVMT concluded its activities in 1995 in the wake of the McCain prescription narcotics controversy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-care_33-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wapo091208_40-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]  That year, McCain founded a new organization, the Hensley Family Foundation, which donates monies towards children's programs in Arizona and nationally.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-tapper_9-7" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  She was largely a stay-at-home mom during the balance of the 1990s.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt030200_20-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]  She also held positions as vice president, director, and vice chair of Hensley & Co.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Frantz_27-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[27] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ap040308_28-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]  In the mid-1990s, she began suffering from severe migraine headaches, for a while keeping them secret from her husband and minimizing their effect to the rest of her family.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-peo090209_45-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fox090909_46-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46]  Her attacks often resulted in trips to the emergency room,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fox090909_46-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[46]  were caused by many different triggers, and she tried many different treatments.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nykr092109_47-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47] ==Role in 2000 presidential campaign<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Although wary of the media<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-salon-tapper_9-8" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9]  and still having no love for the political world,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-thomas-34_48-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[48]  McCain was active in her husband's eventually unsuccessful campaign for President of the United States in 2000.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt030200_20-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]  She mostly provided good cheer, without discussing her opinions about national policy. She impressed Republican voters with her elegance at coffee shops and other small campaign settings, where she frequently referred to her children, carpooling and charity work.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt062907_14-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">McCain was upset by the notorious smear tactics<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-az-2000_49-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[49] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt101907_50-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[50]  against her husband in the South Carolina primary that year. These included allegations involving her adopted daughter Bridget that she found "despicable",<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt030200_20-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]  as well as insinuations that McCain herself was currently a drug addict.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt101907_50-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[50] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-time071608_51-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[51]  Though deeply wounded by the attacks for a long time,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gamechange-276_52-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52]  Cindy McCain eventually forgave those responsible.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt062907_14-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  She was chosen as the chair of the Arizona delegation to the 2000 Republican National Convention.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mcc2008-bio_18-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18] ==Between presidential campaigns<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == John and Cindy McCain at a Naval Sea Cadet Corps graduation, Fort Dix, New Jersey, July 2001.<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In 2000, she became chair of the now $300 million-a-year [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hensley_%26_Co. Hensley & Co.]<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-abc052507_53-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[53] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-hensley_54-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[54]  following her father's death.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-alexander-more_43-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43]  It is one of the largest Anheuser-Busch beer distributors in the United States.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-55" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[55]  She, her children, and one of John McCain's children from his first marriage, together own 68 percent of the company.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-lat062208_56-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[56]  As chair, her role takes the form of consultations with the company CEO on major initiatives such as new products, new plants or employee welfare, rather than that of an active physical presence.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-57" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[57] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sdm0807_58-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  She does not have operational control of Hensley, and Anheuser-Busch considers her to be an absentee owner.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Halbfinger_59-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[59]  By 2007, she had an annual income of over $400,000 from Hensley and an estimated net worth of $100 million.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ap041808_24-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[24]  She also owned at least $2.7 million worth of shares of Anheuser-Busch stock.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Halbfinger_59-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[59] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bloom061308_60-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[60]  With her children, she owns a minority stake in the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ap040308_28-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-61" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[61]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">McCain became actively involved with Operation Smile in 2001,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-smile_62-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[62]  taking parts in its medical missions to Morocco, Vietnam and India.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-smile_62-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[62]  She was honored by the organization in 2005<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-smile_62-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[62]  and sits on its board of directors.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-care_33-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33]  McCain joined the board of directors of CARE in 2005.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-care_33-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33]  She is on the board of the HALO Trust,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-care_33-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33] and has visited operations to remove landmines in Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, and Angola.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mcc2008-bio_18-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18]  She makes financial contributions to these organizations via her family trust<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ct041508_32-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32]  and views her role as watching them in the field to ensure they are frugal and their money is being spent effectively.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sdm0807_58-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  On occasion she has criticized foreign regimes on human rights grounds, such as Myanmar's military junta.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ap061908_63-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[63]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In April 2004, McCain suffered a near-fatal stroke caused by high blood pressure,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-alexander-more_43-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-64" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[64]  although she was still able to attend some events.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt101708c_30-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  After several months of physical therapy to overcome leg and arm limitations, she made a mostly full recovery, although she still suffered from some short-term memory loss and difficulties in writing.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-alexander-more_43-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[43]  She owns a home in Coronado, California, next to the Hotel del Coronado;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sdm0807_58-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  her family had vacationed in Coronado growing up, and she has gone there for recuperation and family get-togethers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sdm0807_58-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  She or her family own other residential and commercial real estate in California, Arizona and Virginia<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ap040308_28-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[28]  and, including rental properties, McCain herself owns ten homes and part of three office complexes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Halbfinger_59-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[59] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-65" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[65] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw070708_66-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[66]  She is an amateur pilot and race car driver.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw063008_13-13" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13] ==Role in 2008 presidential campaign<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == John and Cindy McCain at a campaign stop, early February 2008<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">She was active and visible in her husband's second presidential campaign during 2007 and 2008,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt062907_14-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  despite not wanting her husband to run initially due to bad memories of their 2000 experience and worries the effect on her children, especially son Jimmy who was headed to serve in the Iraq War.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gamechange-276_52-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52]  She eventually supported her husband in his goals, but defined her own campaign roles;<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-gamechange-276_52-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[52]  she frequently returned to Arizona to attend to domestic duties<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sdm0807_58-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  or interrupted campaigning for her overseas charitable work.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ct041508_32-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ap061908_63-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[63]  She preferred to travel with her husband and introduce him rather than act as a campaign surrogate with a separate schedule.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt101708c_30-4" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-67" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[67]  She wore her hair in a fashionable but severe style and was sometimes seen with an unsmiling countenance in her appearances.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-thomas-34_48-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[48]  In August 2008, a member of the public shook her hand very vigorously, aggravating her existing carpal tunnel syndrome condition and causing her to slightly sprain her wrist.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-68" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[68]  The campaign exacerbated her migraine headaches and she sometimes had to wear dark glasses to shield herself from bright lights.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-peo090209_45-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nykr092109_47-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47]  The pressures of the campaign also brought out a range of behaviors between her and her husband, varying from moments of great tenderness and concern to raging arguments that dismayed their staffs.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-69" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[69]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">McCain stated that the American public wanted a First Lady of the United States who would tend toward a traditional role in that position.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-70" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[70]  She would not attendCabinet meetings,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sdm0807_58-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  but would continue her involvement in overseas non-profit organizations and would urge Americans to do the same globally or locally.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-sdm0807_58-6" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[58]  She envisioned herself as a possible figurehead for humanitarian work, along the lines of Diana, Princess of Wales.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-71" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[71]  She continued to expand her roles in such organizations, joining in April 2008 the board ofGrateful Nation Montana, which provides scholarships and services to the children of Montana service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-72" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[72]

Visiting President Bush at theWhite House on March 5, 2008<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">She made statements critical of the Bush administration for not deploying enough troops during the Iraq War.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nyt062907_14-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  Her close examination of the financial books of the McCain campaign during the first part of 2007 convinced the candidate that its profligate spending could not go on and led to the drastic mid-year reduction of the campaign's staff and scope.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ct041508_32-5" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-73" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[73]  In February 2008, McCain made news by being critical of Michelle Obama, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who had said, "And let me tell you something: For the first time in my adult lifetime I am really proud of my country." McCain, who was genuinely offended by the remark,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-74" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[74]  replied: "I am proud of my country. I don't know about you—if you heard those words earlier—I am very proud of my country."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-75" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[75]  Also in February 2008, she publicly appeared beside her husband during a press conference in response to a newspaper report regarding his connection to a lobbyist.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-76" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[76]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">McCain faced media scrutiny about her wealth, spending habits, and financial obligations.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nw070708_66-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[66] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-77" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[77] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-78" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[78]  At first declining to release her separate income tax returns, saying it was a privacy issue and that she would not do so even if she became First Lady,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-79" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[79]  she later released the first two pages of her 2006 return, which showed $6 million in income for that year (including nearly $570,000 in itemized deductions and more than $1.7 million paid in federal income taxes).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-taxreturn_80-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[80]  The campaign said that any decisions about how to handle her role in Hensley & Co. if she became First Lady would not be made until that time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-lat062208_56-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[56]  While she stood to gain a considerable profit from the agreed-upon acquisition of Anheuser-Busch by the Belgian company InBev,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-bloom061308_60-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[60] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-81" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[81]  she was initially under some political pressure to help oppose the deal and keep Anheuser-Busch under American ownership.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-82" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[82]

McCain at a September 15, 2008, campaign event<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In June 2008, a Rasmussen Reports poll found that 49 percent of voters viewed Cindy McCain favorably and 29 percent unfavorably,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-83" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[83]  while an ABC News/Washington Post poll found figures of 39 percent and 25 percent respectively.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-84" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[84]  Her style and fashion sense was the subject of much media scrutiny.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fashion_85-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[85] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-86" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[86]  McCain was compared to former first lady Nancy Reagan,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-fashion_85-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[85] due to both her style and wardrobe<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-87" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[87] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-88" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[88]  as well as her demeanor.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-89" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[89]  Early in the campaign, some recipes attributed to Cindy McCain turned out to be copied from other sources; the campaign attributed the problem to an error by an intern.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-upi041508_90-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[90] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-upi041508_90-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[90] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-91" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[91]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Cindy McCain spoke on both the opening and final nights of the early September 2008 Republican National Convention. On the first night, truncated due to national attention regarding Hurricane Gustav, she appeared with First Lady Laura Bush to deliver short remarks encouraging support for hurricane relief efforts along the Gulf Coast,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-92" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[92]  and on the last night, she introduced the seven McCain children and spoke about how her husband's love for his country had been passed on to them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4speech_93-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[93]  In October 2008, she increased the intensity of her public remarks against Obama's candidacy,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-94" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[94]  speaking with surprising vitriol in accusing the Obama campaign of being the dirtiest in history and saying of his position against a war-funding bill, "The day that Senator Obama cast a vote not to fund my son when he was serving sent a cold chill through my body."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-95" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[95] The stresses of the campaign caused the 5-foot-7-inch (1.70 m) McCain's weight to fall under 100 pounds (45 kg).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-peo090209_45-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45]  On November 4, 2008, she fought back tears in an appearance as the McCain campaign reached its final day and subsequent loss to Obama.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-96" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[96] ==Subsequent life<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;font-family:sans-serif;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">[ edit<span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color:rgb(85,85,85);">] == <p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">After the election, Cindy McCain was approached about appearing on Dancing With the Stars. She seriously considered participating, but according to John McCain, was concerned that her surgically replaced knee would not be able to withstand the rigors of the competition.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-97" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[97]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">Continuing her humanitarian aid work with a January 2009 trip to Dubai, India, and Cambodia, she said that she was relieved that the campaign was over and that, while it had been "wild and nuts" at times, it had also been "a remarkable experience to be a contender for the highest office in the land."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ap012809_98-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[98]  She said the ongoing global economic crisis was adversely affecting humanitarian organizations, and she expressed hope that President Obama would be successful in dealing with it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ap012809_98-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[98]

McCain testifying before Congress in March 2011<p style="margin-top:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">She expressed support for LGBT rights by appearing alongside her daughter Meghan at an April 2009 convention of the Log Cabin Republicans,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-99" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[99]  and posing for the NOH8 Campaign, a gay rights project opposed to California Proposition 8, a ballot measure banning same-sex marriage.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-NOH8_100-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[100]  The following year she appeared in another NOH8 public service announcement against bullying, and in it appeared to break with her husband's position and express support for repeal of the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy prohibiting gays from serving openly in the U.S. military.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-101" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[101]  But she subsequently tweeted that "I fully support the NOH8 campaign and all it stands for and am proud to be a part of it. But I stand by my husband's stance on DADT."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-102" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[102]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In September 2009, she spoke about her migraines publicly for the first time and decided to speak at the International Headache Congress about raising awareness for sufferers.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-peo090209_45-3" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[45] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-nykr092109_47-2" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[47]  During her husband's eventually successful 2010 senatorial re-election campaign, she rarely made public appearances.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-103" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[103]  She did appear in March 2011 alongside Eastern Congo Initiative founder Ben Affleck to testify before a panel of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on behalf of continued monetary assistance to the Democratic Republic of Congo, in an environment where the Republican-controlled House was looking to make significant cuts to foreign aid.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-104" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[104]

<p style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:20.363636016845703px;color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13.63636302947998px;">In late 2013 and early 2014, McCain used the occasion of Super Bowl XLVIII to highlight her concerns about sex trafficking in the United States, an issue that she had begun working on in conjunction with The McCain Institute.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-az-traf_105-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[105] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-pol-traf_106-0" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[106]  She campaigned for legislation to address the problem at both the federal and state levels.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-pol-traf_106-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[106]  She also served as co-chair of the Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's Task Force on Human Trafficking.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-az-traf_105-1" style="line-height:1;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[105]