McCain highlights adopted daughter in South Carolina: Was subject of dirty-trick rumors in 2000

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN: McCain highlights adopted daughter in South Carolina


The McCains have begun talking about their children on the trail.

MYRTLE BEACH, South Carolina (CNN) — John McCain’s campaign is sending a mailing to South Carolina Republicans which shows a picture of his wife Cindy McCain cradling the baby they adopted in Bangladesh in 1993. The mailing touts McCain's commitment to adoption as proof of his pro-life record. It comes as both McCains are suddenly talking about their adoption of a baby from Bangladesh on the stump.

“When a mother comes home with a new child, and doesn’t even tell him she’s coming home with a new baby, and surprises him with a new baby from Bangladesh — and not only does he open his arms, he loves her just like I do,” said Cindy McCain, introducing her husband in Greenville, South Carolina Thursday, “that’s something that says something about the character of a man.”

One of the attacks used by unnamed McCain opponents in 2000 was robo-calls suggesting she was his illegitimate daughter.

Though McCain is vowing to beat back any dirty tricks in this year's South Carolina primary with a "truth squad," his campaign insists the adoption mailing is not a pre-emptive strike, "This is about Sen. McCain's 25-year consistent pro-life record, not negative push-polling calls in South Carolina," said McCain spokesman Brian Rogers.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/11/mccains-start-speaking-about-their-children-on-the-trail/

[Fredda Weinberg]

1. Surprised her husband w/a baby? And I'm supposed to be impressed? n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. And I thought pets were a bad idea for a gift.

[Bucky]

4. It happens to lots of men.

Adopting parents are good role models. Alas, war apologists are not.

[Fredda Weinberg]

5. Sorry, but I'll judge adopting parents on their behavior. This sounds bizarre n/t

[Bucky]

6. I'd ask you to open up your empathic talents a bit here.

Of course she's almost certainly simplifying the story a bit. Even in Bangladesh adoptions are not just drive-thru affairs. But let's think about what must've happened when they enlarged their family by one kid back then.

Mrs McCain is a woman born in privilege who went to the Third World and came to see some of the world's poverty in personal terms. Part of her reached out. She did what she felt like she could and should right at that moment. We can't know from this little snippet just how much of a surprise the new daughter was to McCain, but he certainly seems to have welcomed her as a member of their family.

I don't see how anyone can argue they didn't make the world just a little bit better by doing this, or that they didn't mean good by this, or that this was only a cynical political stunt, or anything else that might be meant by "bizarre." How bizarre does it have to be before it's no longer love?

The McCains, politically speaking, are not my cup of tea. As a rule, I fault his judgment just about every time he opens his mouth. But in watching him for the past 10 years or so, I've never seen anything to justify questioning the sincerety and the generosity of his parenting.

[Fredda Weinberg]

8. I have lots of empathy, but your story doesn't comport w/the facts

If the narrative was wrong, then fine ... but if John McCain was literally surprised by this baby, then I'm sorry ... but I'll reserve judgment if you say there's more than we've seen so far.

As for the greater good ... no, I won't argue against adoption as a response to global poverty. It's just a logical slippery slope I can't approach - my own American birth being the fluke it was. I wish 'em all well.

[Anouka]

14. He didn't adopt her, though. His wife did. That doesn't pass the smell test.

Something illegal happened in that adoption,

or McCain is her real father.

[Bucky]

2. I think they call that "getting out in front of the story"

I do congratulate McCain for being only 8 years too late for this move. That makes him the single most progressive Republican in the race.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

7. surprised him with a new baby? man, that's fucked up

puppy maybe

[Muttocracy]

9. more stories on this topic

Good for them. I hate anyone being unfairly smeared by the media.

perhaps Mother Teresa was persuasive.

http://www.johnmccain.com/About/CindyBio.htm
"As an advocate for children's health care needs, Cindy founded and ran the American Voluntary Medical Team (AVMT) from 1988 to 1995. AVMT provided emergency medical and surgical care to impoverished children throughout the world. Cindy led 55 medical missions to third world and war-torn countries during AVMT's seven years of existence. On one of those missions, Mother Teresa convinced Cindy to take two babies in need of medical attention to the United States. One of those babies is now their adopted daughter, 15 year old Bridget McCain."

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1702552,00.html

also family photo on front of Huff Post today
plus
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20080110/mccain-adoption-mailer/

[DeepModem Mom]

10. Thanks for these links, Joel! nt

[Muttocracy]

11. the nickname is as in Joe Biden (not my name) but you're welcome

[DeepModem Mom]

16. I have a bad habit of picking a nickname out of thin air from the "names" here --

but then, I've been called "Deep" on occasion!

Joe Biden is a great American!

:patriot:

[Muttocracy]

12. another GOP who adopted needy kids

I remember reading something a couple of months ago - maybe it was in an interview with Joe Biden since I was reading those heavily at the time - about a very conservative Republican senator who had quietly adopted some special needs kids. Was it Jesse Helms? Or someone similar? Wish I could remember. Can't make assumptions about people. It may look like cognitive dissonance sometimes, but people are complex creatures.

[Anouka]

13. Sounds like the McCains employed illegal adoption methods.

There is no way for one spouse to adopt a child and the other spouse is completely unaware of the situation -- unless the child was bought. Infant slavery, infant market.

That is not cool.

What was McCain going to do after his wife brought the kid home, though, toss both of them out? Send her back for a refund? Doesn't work like that.

Something foul is going down in the McCain household..........

or McCain is that child's 'secret' father. Something like what happened to the Queen Mother of England, and her adoption by the man who might be her real father after he got her scullery maid Irish mother pregnant (or so the story was related to me). Blame the wife on that one, too.

That story makes no sense; there are pieces missing.

[Muttocracy]

15. idea for people who think it's fishy

why don't you contact the McCain campaign to see what they say? Did more info about this come out in the SC primary smear on him in 2000? Surely the press has investigated this to death already.

Gotta go walk my dogs and be in the real world for a while.