<p>I actually did read a biography of Cindy McCain online (not Wikipedia) and I believe most of what is posted below is true. There was some sort of formal investigation although nothing ever came out of it. Alot of it was he-said, she-said type of activity. However, I think it is all very sad.</p>
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<p>See, this is called “I don’t believe it’s true so I’ll ignore all the opportunities I’ve been given to find out for myself and hope that you can’t find a good enough source that I won’t be able to dismiss as invalid in spite of no clear grounds on which to do so.” It’s not a game I’m generally willing to play, but in this case the evidence is so unequivocal and clear that it doesn’t require much work on my part.</p>
<p>For the record, by the way, unless you’re willing to make a specific criticism against Wikipedia, saying it’s “not credible” is insufficient - particularly since peer-reviewed studies have shown it to surpass the accuracy of other encyclopedic compilations. Nonetheless.</p>
<p>[I’m</a> not Hillary - Page 3 - Salon.com](<a href=“http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/1999/07/02/hillary/index2.html]I’m”>http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/1999/07/02/hillary/index2.html)</p>
<p>That states the basic background about Cindy McCain’s theft and addiction.</p>
<p>[Overcoming</a> scandal, moving on](<a href=“http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter8.html]Overcoming”>http://www.azcentral.com/news/specials/mccain/articles/0301mccainbio-chapter8.html)</p>
<p>Here’s another.</p>
<p>[Cindy</a> McCain stays on even keel - November 22, 1999](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/11/22/cindy.mccain/index.html]Cindy”>Cindy McCain stays on even keel - November 22, 1999)</p>
<p>And another.</p>
<p>Bottom line is, I’m not going to spend the time ■■■■■■■■ around the Internet for information you should be entirely capable of finding out yourself. If you want to remain ignorant of the simple and clear facts of this matter, that is your personal decision, but know that this is not some matter of interpretation. The fact of the matter is that Cindy McCain is a reformed (it appears) addict and stole from her own charity.</p>
<p>Thanks for the links. That puts the matter into perspective - Cindy McCain was addicted to Percocet and Vicodin (same drug used by the fictional Dr. House) from 1989 to 1992. She admitted to her addiction and met whatever process the government demanded, which appears to have been addiction treatment. </p>
<p>That was 16 years ago. Are you suggesting she’s still using these medicines unlawfully today or say, within the last 10 years? </p>
<p>You write about it like it was yesterday, not 16 years ago.</p>
<p>Got anything fresher? :)</p>
<p>*We have now learned that Cindy McCain was not an embezzler, but an addict - 16 years ago who has received treatment and presumably has had no further problems with addiction.</p>
<p>Uh uh uh, don’t try to wiggle out of this by playing it down. My point was never that Cindy McCain was a current user, or that she was a current thief. I was responding to edvest1, who said that Obama’s spouse being of questionable character reflected badly on Obama. My point being, obviously, that McCain’s wife being an admitted former addict and thief should probably weigh on him a bit more than one out of context line from Obama’s wife.</p>
<p>The significance of the story, no matter what year, is that she STOLE medication from her charities.</p>
<p>After getting exposed, she did repay it.</p>
<p>How many people does everyone know who gets to repay a drug theft, with no consequences?</p>
<p>Consequences like prison?</p>
<p>The consequences are unspecified, but treatment was one aspect. I suspect a hefty fine was also involved in addition to restricted access to such medicines and close monitoring for some years.</p>
<p>Hardly without consequences, since the whole matter became very public.</p>
<p>Why not just send Senator McCain back to the prison in North Viet Nam? He could atone for his wife’s sins aptly there.</p>
<p>Didn’t Senator McCain refuse release from prison early, due to his being the son of a high-ranking father, and instead spent 5 years in a terrible prison? </p>
<p>I’m not sure I could have been so noble.</p>
<p>p2n, stop making this seem like I’m trying to railroad the woman or something. I was merely pointing out to edvest1 that given his interest in the character of candidates’ wives he’d probably not want to be voting McCain.</p>
<p>McCain’s noble refusal to be released early, while noble, has nothing to do with his wife.</p>
<p>While we are at it, let’s not forget Betty Ford!</p>
<p>Perhaps it was the word “embezzle” that attracted my attention? I don’t know, I’m kind of ignorant. :)</p>
<p>Doesn’t Dr. House practice at Princeton-Plainsboro? Ever see him? :D</p>
<p>Cindy’s drug addiction was from 1989 - 1992 after two back surgeries. She’s been up front about it since 1994.</p>
<p>Is this relevant to our current election?</p>
<p>Michelle Obama’s remarks are current & directly related to this election & her husband’s campaign.</p>
<p>Apples and Oranges.</p>
<p>Caviar and Pork-n-Beans.</p>
<p>parent2noles: Princeton-Plainsboro doesn’t exist in real life. ;)</p>
<p>bz2010: That question (whether Cindy McCain is relevant) is a different question than what I was discussing, which was that she should, in edvest1’s reckoning, disqualify McCain, given how seriously he takes the seemingly not-so-related actions of candidates’ spouses.</p>
<p>Perhaps her drug addiction and THEFT was years ago, but CM’s two million dollar investment in Sudan was recent. Or was it her selling off the investment after it was exposed that was recent? How long has she been invested in Sudan, and how much money did she make?</p>
<p>Yes, that wasn’t her responsibility, either.</p>
<p>If people feel that is insignificant, review your current events related to Sudan.</p>
<p>Cindy McCain had spinal surgery and was in shearing pain. She founded a volunteer organization and financially supported it as well as donated her own time. It kept a large medical supplies. She needed drugs to overcome pain and used the pantry she herself help donated. When the story broke she did the right thing, explained her mistake and repaid for the drugs she helped put there. </p>
<p>She has been continuously leading efforts to help suffering children in war-torn countries around the world, with her own money, her own time. What has Michelle Obama done when she’s not indignant about America ?</p>
<p>I guarantee you Michele Obama is not investing two million dollars in a country engaged in a huge genocide.</p>
<p>edvest1, you’re so partisan it’s not worth arguing with you. Michelle Obama says something that, while admittedly pretty stupid, has been taken out of context repeatedly and suddenly it’s a horrible indictment of Obama’s candidacy. Meanwhile, Cindy McCain gets addicted to prescription drugs (no, it wasn’t the shearing pain - she was, as she herself admitted, addicted), steals them from her own charity and we should just ignore it. Sorry, the only way those two things could possibly be consistent are in the mind of a ridiculously partisan person for whom the party label attached to a person matters much more than the actions they take.</p>
<p>sunnymamere: “Yes, Cindy is brilliant. An ex-drug addict, thief of drugs from her charity, refuses to release her tax return, AND invested two million dollars in Sudan, which is engaged in a huge genocide. Oh, yes, they also have lots of oil. Vote Cindy McCain if you are an immoral, heartless crook.”</p>
<p>Well, many might say that was a pretty “heartless” remark. Cindy McCain does suffer from the disease of addiction. By its very nature, addiction will mess up your ability to reason just as other illnesses wreak havoc in your body. It causes sufferers to do immoral things, because it affects the part of your brain which controls behavioral decision making. </p>
<p>Cindy is in recovery, and deserves our admiration for fighting one of the most insidious and difficult health challenges that a person can have. Her husband deserves respect for sticking by her. Those of us who have family members with the disease understand how difficult that can be.</p>
<p>BTW, she also traveled to a lot of poverty-stricken nations and did good work. Her family funded the charity. A lot of the money came out of their pocket. If she made a mistake in investing in the Sudan, I think it is appropriate to consider that along with everything else. One might argue that just keeping herself healthy could be enough for this poor woman. I don’t think most people know where every dime of their money is invested. You try to stay on top of those things, and if you find out that some company is doing something wrong somewhere, you pull out and withdraw support.</p>
<p>It is common, BTW, for an addiction to painkillers to begin with pain management challenges.</p>
<p>Parent2noles: I have read up on the Cindy McCain story quite a bit, and I have to share that some very embarrassing stuff is out there. I haven’t seen anything here that I haven’t seen before, except for the embezzlement part. Perhaps the poster meant that she took drugs, because I did read that. The bottom line is that I really think most people don’t understand how bad addiction can actually get. Others just don’t have sympathy for addicts. I do. The real Cindy McCain didn’t do those things. But her actively addictive brain on drugs certainly may have. It wouldn’t be a noteworty list of things to do for an opiate addict. </p>
<p>I will be voting for McCain, BTW, so I am not biased against them.</p>
<p>Northstarmom: “I think it’s stupid and weak politics to make a prospective first spouse the target of political ads. To me doing so indicates that the attackers don’t have ammunition to attack the presidential candidate. The attackers also look very cowardly to be attacking someone who’s a family member, not a person running for office”.</p>
<p>I can see your point, but MO’s quote speaks to concerns that many people have about Obama. For brevity, I have included a link that has been circulating for some time. It is an absolute slam on Obama, which will not sit well with supporters. Frankly, I think it is over the top. On the other hand, it can serve as a good example (though a crass one) of concerns that people have about him. The nature of these concerns is reflected in his wife’s remark. </p>
<p>While it may not be nice to go after the contenders for First Lady, MO’s statement resonated in a very specific way with people who are not sold on her husband. For many of us, it is just not acceptable to feel that “For the first time in my life I am proud of my country” – in context or out. For others, those words could be music to their ears. </p>
<p>In any case, here is the link to the slam:</p>
<p>[link removed by moderator since CC doesn’t allow links to sites like Youtube or blogs]</p>
<p>WHAT?</p>
<p>Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital is fictional? No! I need conclusive proof it does not exist.</p>
<p>Never mind, I’m too busy clinging to religion and guns. :)</p>
<p>Carry on…I’ll be in the area all day.</p>
<p>“Cindy is in recovery, and deserves our admiration for fighting one of the most insidious and difficult health challenges that a person can have. Her husband deserves respect for sticking by her. Those of us who have family members with the disease understand how difficult that can be.”</p>
<p>Yes, she may deserve our admiration. She doesn’t deserve to be First Lady.</p>
<p>And, not only because of her medical issues. She finances genocide, and who knows what else, since she refuses to release her finances as all other candidates. </p>
<p>This thread started out as a ridiculous criticism of Michele Obama. The game is played both ways.</p>
<p>No, not the same - Michelle Obama said something that embarrassed her husband only a few weeks ago. She entered the fray.</p>