Politics | Cindy McCain Cindy McCain's Soft Talk Masks Deep Resolve GOP candidate's wife is quiet on trail, crusader off it By Jonas Oransky Posted Apr 15, 2008 2:02 PM CDT Copied Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, and his wife, Cindy McCain. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) Cindy McCain is reserved on the campaign trail—a marked contrast to the sometimes-pugilistic style of husband John—but outside the public eye she has been a “one-woman philanthropic operation,” reports the Chicago Tribune in a profile. The would-be first lady has brought medical relief missions to Rwanda and Vietnam, land-mine education to Afghanistan, and awareness to Darfur. Eighteen years her husband’s junior, and the survivor of both a stroke and a painkiller addiction, McCain is also a player in campaign strategy decisions—though observers note she steers clear of taking positions on sticky topics and would likely be a conservative presidential spouse. McCain is especially reserved on the Iraq war, even though she has two sons serving in the military. Read These Next Multiple people have been shot at a Mormon church in Michigan. North Carolina shooting suspect once walked the red carpet. Locals are furious about the planned demolition of a landmark bridge. The gunman who killed 4 at a Michigan church was an ex-marine. Report an error