Boo-freakin'-hoo: Cindy McCain's pathetic pity play

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Poor Cindy McCain. It must be so hard to be a wealthy heiress:

Democrats' attacks on her family's wealth are unfair and offensive, Cindy McCain said today in an interview airing tomorrow on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos."

For nearly two weeks, Democrats have repeatedly hit Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for saying he is unaware of how many houses he owns, calling the presumptive Republican presidential nominee out of touch with everyday Americans. In his acceptance speech at the Democratic convention on Thursday, Democratic nominee Barack Obama turned up the heat on McCain, saying he "doesn't know" about the lives of middle-class Americans.

"I'm offended by Barack Obama saying that about my husband," said McCain's wife Cindy. When asked if Obama went too far in his criticism of McCain, Cindy responded, "I do. I do. I really do."

What nonsense. Obama is right to go after McCain for not being able to say how many houses he owns. We all know that McCain is out of touch with reality, but now we also know that he's out of touch with the reality of his own life.

It may very well be that Cindy's father, James Hensley, worked hard for his wealth. But what exactly did Cindy do, other than be born, to acquire that wealth?

And what exactly did John McCain do, other than marry into a wealthy family after ditching his first wife, to find himself in a position where he doesn't even know how many houses he owns?

Cindy's argument is the one Romney made a few days ago, and it's bullshit.

It is the Obamas, Barack and Michelle alike, who have worked hard all their lives to pull themselves up to where they are now (which is still far below the McCains). There is no denying that John, if not Cindy, has been through difficulty in his life, to put it mildly, but there is no excuse for being so blatantly out of touch, not least when you're running for the presidency.

Obama's criticism is hardly unfair, and Cindy's pity play, the whining of the wealthy, is simply ridiculous, evidence of a character corrupted by a massive inheritance and a life lived in many houses and on many easy streets.