Chastising the media for its intrusions and scrutiny, politicians have long argued that their personal lives are irrelevant to their capability in public office. The American public, which devotes rapt attention to media coverage of personal scandal, obviously disagrees.
Nothing's more entertaining than watching a politician try to wiggle his way out of directly addressing an ethical question, and nothing's more self-satisfying than passing judgment on a politician. Whether personal ethics are relevant to public service makes for a spirited academic debate, but I'll venture to claim that most reasonable, mainstream Americans would agree with this statement: the choices you make in your personal life say something about who you are.
In 2000, I would have been delighted to vote for John McCain. Today, I'd like to bring attention some facts about McCain and his personal life that I've only recently learned, courtesy of today's New York Times and Wikipedia. (Before you laugh at Wikipedia as a source, consider that McCain's campaign has no doubt scoured it line by line.) A timeline of the highlights:
- McCain first marriage was to a model, Carol, who had two kids. McCain adopted those two kids. He and Carol later had a kid together.
- McCain requested a combat assignment during the Vietnam War.
- After his time as a POW, which was highly covered in the media since McCain's father was an admiral, McCain returned to the US and his wife, who had stood by him during his 5 1/2 year imprisonment. Carol had been in a crippling car accident while he was away.
- Three years later, McCain had several affairs.
- Two years later, McCain met Cindy and they began dating while McCain was still married. Cindy was 20 years younger than Carol and daughter of millionaire businessman.
- McCain and Carol got divorced 10 months after John started dating Cindy.
- McCain married Cindy, one month after the divorce become final, one year after meeting her.
- McCain continued to provide some financial support for Carol, who continued to recover from her auto accident.
- McCain brought Cindy to Washington, where she was shunned. Cindy returned to Arizona. McCain spent the week in Washington and flew home on weekends, where he spent time campaigning.
- Cindy had several miscarriages while McCain was in DC.
- Cindy's parents often bought jewelry as gifts to be given "from John".
- During McCain's investigation during the savings and loan scandals, Cindy became addicted to painkillers and stole prescription drugs from an orphanage she was running. McCain claimed he had clue about Cindy's addiction. (And why would he? They were rarely together.)
Some other facts:
- McCain has 7 kids whose ages span 40 years.
- McCain is 71. McCain's oldest kid is 48, 4 years younger than Cindy.
- His youngest kid is 20; she's the adopted one from Bangladesh.
From the Times article: "Some of Mr. McCain’s Washington friends say they have barely met Mrs. McCain, while fellow mothers at their children’s schools say they have little sense of her husband. The two often relax in separate places: Mr. McCain prefers the family’s ranch in the Arizona desert, while Mrs. McCain’s refuge is a high-rise condominium on the Pacific."
On the campaign trail, when Cindy McCain stands by her man, it's no wonder she looks tense and uncomfortable. Scorned by Washington and married to a 70-year old man she barely knows, McCain declines to speak with the media, in part out of fear that someone will ask her a question about her husband.
I admit no one's perfect, including me. I'm also not applying to run the country. Many of these points above aren't necessarily right or wrong, but there sure are some wierd happenings in John McCain's life and family.
