John McCain's camp blasts N.Y. Times Cindy McCain profile

The New York Times ran a lengthy profile of John McCain's beer-heiress second wife, Cindy McCain. And the piece has elicited an outraged response from McCain's camp.

The piece notes her charity work, her recovery from a recent stroke and her adoption of a Bangladeshi orphan. But it also goes into her role in the Keating Five savings and loan scandal and that she was "caught stealing drugs from her nonprofit organization to feed her addiction to painkillers."

Click here to see Cindy McCain's fashion evolution.

In a confession made to Newsweek, Cindy admitted drug use in the wake of the Keating scandal in the late 1980s. She was the sole Senate spouse to be implicated. "The pills made me feel euphoric and free,'' she wrote.

McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb has called the Times piece  "gutter journalism" and a "trash report."

Here's some of Goldfarb's statement: "Today the New York Times launched yet another in a series of vicious attacks on Senator John McCain, this time targeting not the candidate, but his wife Cindy. Under the guise of a 'profile' piece, the New York Times fails to cover any new ground or provide any discernible value to the reader other than to portray Mrs. McCain in the worst possible light. Though Mrs. McCain's battle with drug addiction and even her miscarriages are again reported, the paper entirely ignores a life devoted to family and charity work in the most impoverished and violent corners of the world -- except when a detail can be quibbled with so as to imply some kind of deceit. This campaign made every effort to share personal accounts of Mrs. McCain's good works with the paper, but apparently they were deemed unfit for publication in the New York Times."

McCain's lawyer, John Dowd, also wants to know why the Times has not interviewed Barack Obama's drug dealer.

Speaking of drug dealers, Cindy McCain is the chairwoman of Hensley & Company, Arizona's largest beer distribution company. But even her millionaire income from selling alcohol has hit hard times.

According to her recently released tax reports, her income dropped form $6.1 million in 2006 to just $4.2 million last year! Which is probably why her presidential-candidate husband can totally relate to the economic crisis the country is in.

Have you read the NYT piece on Cindy? Is it fair?

Do you think we should be prying into personal lives of presidential candidates' wifes?

And why hasn't "Saturday Night Live" done a Cindy McCain skit?

Photo: Is Cindy McCain trying to do the Sarah Palin wink?  Credit: WireImage

Comments

[Bill]

This is so eloquently stated in Franks' What's the Matter with Kansas?" these people are sheep, sheep, nothing but sheep, they vote time and time again against their on interest in the name of hate and division. Watch the political short film (McCain does not want you seeing) that ask the question can you solve the Theorem???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KzbJtG9V2E

[Terry]

After the dirt and totally unfounded rumors the McCain/Plain ticket has tried to use against Obama and then to have them actually have the nerve to be indignant over an article regarding Cindy McCain is absolutely pathetic. At least now some of their equally pathetic supporters can see them for they really are, desperate liars who would do anything to try and and bring down Senator Obama.....

[Leon Francis]

Doesn't anyone see the blatent bias for Obama? Like it has been said; "you know you are doing something good and right if the Devil is coming after you". McCain is both good and right!

[msg]

Sometimes the truth sucks

[Lauren Tran]

Hi Fellow citizens of America, I believe in free trading, free maket and hard work pay off, plus low government taxes. With the Obama 's plans, I don't think it is fair for us to take our wealth. I donate 20% of my income to charity. I believe in good heart, not government regulation like the communist party or the socialist party.

[Benny Cornett]

The attacks are against the wife of a candidate! The McCain team has gone after Obama, not Michelle! Shows ya how ignorant liberals can be! They don't even have to try!

[hottopics]

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/palins-medica-2.html

[loralu2]

It goes to show the sheep following Obama have no idea how he will change our constitution,kill healthy competition and worse.

[sherry]

Why hasn't the Obama Times done the same type of dirt digging on Michelle Obama as it has on Cindy McCain and Sarah Palin?

[Valerie]

Funny how the McCain campaign doesn't deny any of the content though...

[DeportForeignersNow]

Goldfarb must be a Jew. The NYT is a anti-American newspaper anyway. It is run by Jews who simply are trying to subvert all white Americans in any way possible.

As the famous proverb has it: "Jews they are and Jews they remain."

[tomk]

We all have to lay down in the bed we make, so I have little sympathy for the little pill head. But I do understand how being married to John McCain would make one really need those freedom-and-euphoria-inducing pills.

[Independent]

I am an Obama supporter. Watching Cindy McCain on the campaign trail I always got the impression that she was "cold." I thought the article made her seem more "real" and likeable.

[confused]

I dont understand, how people only think the attacks are against Cindy McCain only. Lets not forgot the attacks early on against Michell Obama. The entire campain has become a smear/tear each other down/ almost racist. I never thought I would be honored to see the day that a Black Man or a Woman would be in the white house. How wonderful it seems have come so far since MLK was killed. Just 40 yrs. How wonderful Women are respected enough to be able to be considered to be Vice President. I PROUD to be an American.

[chava]

Obama was the one who said wives and children should be off-limits. Of course the McCain campaign went after Obama--he's their opponent. Was it smart? No way. Was it somehow "off-limits"? Of course not. If they had dug up dirt on Michelle Obama or even Obama's daughters, *that* would be WAY off-limits. The only spouses/children this has happened to recently are Todd and Bristol Palin and now Cindy McCain. The words came right out of Obama's mouth...

[Keeping it in perspective]

The McCains would be well served by considering the source and ignoring it, as it deserves.
We should all be thankful to Sen. Obama for his parenting style. He'll tell us how much money we can make and where any of our hard earned monies in excess of that amount should go. He truly is a pro at spending other peoples' money. Of course he'll be living in the lap of luxury while he's spending our money on his pet projects. His use of our money will just keep on giving... to him, of course, in the form of the outrageously high speaking and appearance fees he'll charge long after a presidential term, if he's elected, and even if he isn't. But here is where he is a strong proponent of what he calls trickle down economics....the companies, universities and organizations that pay his inflated fee will pass that cost onto us. He'll make sure that any of the donations to his campaign are "spent". So don't expect a refund, spreading the wealth around doesn't include Sen. Obama's money.

[hotopics]

McCains and Palins are out of touch with reality.
Sarah Palin is now complaining that people are questioning her faith-well when there is a youtube video of you involved in witchcraft - you are wondering???OMG please go back to AL anbd take the McCains with you.

[McCain 08]

Well if Cindy McCain wants to be left out of political discussion...WHY IS SHE SPEAKING AT RALLIES with Palin???

[messed up]

All the left newspapers want to do is get Obama elected. Newspapers almost always support the more left leaning candidate, that's history and history beats politics most of the time. I am proud because if McCain was hanging out with Bill Ayers most of the people in the Republican party would not have supported him in the primaries. Most of the press would have done what they could and should have to disqualify the Senator for his relationship with this man. However, since they LOVE Obama he gets a pass, he gets a pass from his inexperience, Palin does not. He gets a pass from his wifes anti-american remarks and her racist college thesis. He gets a pass from calling Republicans rascist and religious clingers, he gets a pass for zealot comments by Jesse Jackson about Jews. Most Republicans are raked over the coals by these things and they should, I'll bring the matches, but it makes me sad that Democrats and people on the left shield Senator Obama from hard questions and hard examination...they should be ashamed if they had any integrity.

[NiKKi]

are some of you hiding under a rock, McCain's campaign has went after Michelle trying to depict her as anti-american, and not for her country because of a comment she made, not only that, the media jumped was all over the coverage, so to me, cindy is not off limits, if she can stand there and throw out personal attacks, she should be able to take a few

[NiKKi]

are some of you hiding under a rock, McCain's campaign has went after Michelle trying to depict her as anti-american, and not for her country because of a comment she made, not only that, the media jumped was all over the coverage, so to me, cindy is not off limits, if she can stand there and throw out personal attacks, she should be able to take a few

[DrBanks]

Why have we not talked to the drug dealers who supplied Obama with the cocaine he admits to have used? How deep was his drug use? For how many years did he snort cocaine? Was it limited to weed and cocaine? Why are Americans considering putting such a person near the nuclear button?

[Gary]

The NYT was once a premier newspaper. Movies were made based on the "Gray lady". They had stature in the Journalism world. Back in the day, I used to buy copies of the NYT to see what was going on in the world. Now they are just another Scandel Sheet like National Enquirer or The Star. Another check out counter tabloid, certainly not worth wasteing money on. Their Cindy story is a disgusting example of trash journalism. If they weren't such a totally biased Far Left Liberal rag, they would run a balancing story about Barack's Cocaine use. I'm more interested in what drugs a potential President is using rather than a first lady. The NYT...no longer relevant. Final Word: Will Obama take a position against this kind of slander which he says he is opposed to? Let's see if he has the courage!

[Todd ChaRSKE]

I'm more annoyed that they went after Joe the Plumber when Obama said he "wants to redistribute wealth

- Todd Charske

[Faith]

Keeping it in perspective....you are showing how uneducated you really are...Alaska is abbreviated AK...Alabama is AL!!!!