This isn’t about who you are voting for so let’s all take off our partisan hats.
How many of you remember the snotty rumors last presidential election cycle that John McCain had a “love child” out of wedlock with an African-American woman? Oh the horror!
The truth was that his wife Cindy founded a group that organized trips for Arizona doctors and nurses to areas in need to medical assistance - think a Doctor’s Without Borders sort of group for disaster areas. On one such trip to Bangladesh, she fell in love with a baby living at an orphanage run by Mother Theresa - a child that needed more medical care than they could provide on the mission. So she bundled her up and took her home to the US with her, calling John from an airport to tell him he was about to having another child. Their daughter Bridget is now going on 17 and like most of the McCain children, kept away from the press for their privacy.
Bridget wasn’t the only child Cindy McCain got involved with - she shepherded another child from the same orphanage to be adopted by a family friend.
I won’t even get into the insanely bigoted ideas involved in all of this. It is too sad to even hash out. McCain has been honest and open but understated in terms of coming out swinging. He tends to be protective of his children’s privacy, which isn’t a bad thing in this day and age.
I’d sure like to see him and his wife be more vocal if his daughter feels comfortable with it at some point.
I found a
great interview with McCain on adoption that had some interesting excerpts on the topic:
On the rumors
There were some pretty vile and hurtful things said during the South Carolina primary. It’s a really nasty side of politics. We tried to ignore it and I think we shielded her from it. It’s just unfortunate that that sort of thing still exists. As you know she’s Bengali, and very dark skinned. A lot of phone calls were made by people who said we should be very ashamed about her, about the color of her skin. Thousands and thousands of calls from people to voters saying “You know the McCains have a black baby” I believe that there is a special place in hell for people like those.
On the adoption process:
They were very intrusive. Unfortunately it is a disincentive to some parents because it’s so much easier to go overseas. And that leaves us, in this country, with thousands of children who want parents and thousands of parents who want children. One of the goals I’ve had for a long time is to try to encourage a much less convoluted process in order for parents to adopt a child.
On Bridget:
She has enriched our lives. She’s a wonderful child, a complete part of our family and we love her.
