LONDON, England (The Times), June 26, 2008:Cindy McCain: Is John too old? Oh my gosh no, he wears me out
Cindy McCain, the former rodeo queen who could be the next Republican First Lady, talks about life on the campaign trail, her struggle with illness and her charity work
By Ben Macintyre
Cindy McCain was once touring a Vietnamese hospital when she experienced a moment of shocked recognition: the wife of John McCain suddenly realised she was standing in the very room where her husband had been held by the Vietcong, after being shot down during a bombing mission over Hanoi in 1967.
“It was a little bit overwhelming,” she said yesterday. “That was quite a point in time for me.”
Mrs McCain, 54, who may be the next Republican First Lady come November, has two causes in her life: John McCain's political career and her humanitarian work. That moment, standing in a hospital room where her husband had once lain captive, with broken arms and a broken leg, brought the two together.
“That,” she said, with an understated Arizona twang, “was a very unique experience.”
Passing through London en route to the US after her own humanitarian mission to Vietnam, Mrs McCain spoke to The Times about the strains and pleasures of being on the campaign trail, her struggle with illness, and the charity work she has performed for the past 20 years, notably with the Halo Trust, the anti-landmine charity of which Diana, Princess of Wales, was also patron.
For Cindy McCain, reconciling domestic life, the demands of politics and her humanitarian interests has been a precarious balancing act, all performed atop one of the more remarkable political marriages. “I won't lie to you and say that I always enjoy the campaigning, but when the days get a little long and I get a little frustrated, I remind myself that I have a ringside seat on American history,” she said.
At times in her husband's political ascent she has attracted highly damaging headlines, yet surveys seem to suggest that she is the sort of First Lady many Americans want.....
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