the expression "made man" may be relevant given the criminal associations of Cindy McCain's father discussed in this piece by Noam Schreiber at The New Republic. Let's start with one quote that should go into the common knowledge about how abusive McCain can be in pursuit of his ambition.
Back in February of the previous year, as McCain was formulating his plans to run for office, he and Cindy sat down for dinner at the Biltmore with Bill Shover, Tully's right-hand man at the Republic, and his wife. McCain expounded on his political ambitions for the better part of an hour. Toward the end of the discussion, Shover noticed that Cindy hadn't uttered a word. "Cindy, don't you have something you want to say?" Shover asked. This elicited a few incomprehensible grunts, at which point McCain stepped in. "Cindy had oral surgery today, and she's in a lot of pain. She can't talk because she had her jaws wired." Shover was aghast. "My God, why didn't you wait till she got better?" he asked. "Because I wanted to get to know you," McCain said. Cindy just looked on silently.
Before I return to the article, I want you to ponder the image I have just offered. John McCain was so ambitious, so anxious to move forward in running for Congress in a state in which he had no connections prior to his marriage, that he takes a wife whose jaw is wired shut after surgery (hmm. . .) just to get in the door for a political conversation. It seems of a piece with dumping Carol for Cindy, and with the obscene remarks he made about Cindy that are so well known.
But that is but one snippet from a rich portrayal of McCain and how he rose to power.
Schreiber provides extensive documentation of how McCain used Cindy and the connections she and her father gave him to advance his career.
Schreiber begins with their wedding, where two of his groomsmen were then Senators Gary Hart and Bill Cohen. The next snip begins with the words of the latter:
"The Hensley family was very prominent," Cohen recently told me. "Having Gary and I there--it may have impressed a few people, but it didn't make an impact. . . . We were walk-ons."
There was, as it happens, one small incident that hinted at this dynamic. At the climax of the wedding ceremony, with everyone looking on, the pastor prepared to present the new couple: "I now pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. . . ."--at which point there was an awkward pause. "He stopped, he obviously didn't remember," recalls David Frazer, who was then Jim Hensley's corporate lawyer. Finally, mercifully, someone from the wedding party interjected: "John McCain."
Schreiber notes how hard it is for us to realize that Cindy was originally the senior partner of the political aspirations of this marriage, despite her current presentation of
a perpetually demure and deferential presence
like we previously expected from most political spouses. And one key for Schreiber is illustrated by the last paragraph of the first (of five) online pages of the article:
But the reality behind this political creation myth is far more complex. McCain was a relative nobody when he married Cindy Hensley--a middle-aged divorcé working a mid-level job in a far-off bureaucracy. It was the Hensleys who would breathe life into his prospects and provide a springboard for his ascent. Their ambitions burned every bit as brightly as his did. Except that, unlike McCain, they'd long since hidden their motives from public view.
The article is long, it is detailed, about which anon. Let me note two bonus features
1 there is a video of an ad for McCain's 1982 campaign
2 there is this link which provides a fascinating slide show tracing things beginning with a 1937 photo of Jim Hensley with his first wife (not Cindy's mother).
You will get to read about Cindy's dating background prior to McCain, and what her parents expectations for her were.
Schreiber mentions that McCain considered running for Congress from Florida before he got the job as Navy and Marine Corps Liaison to the US Senate
The rise of Jim Henley is covered in detail, including his friendship with an associate of Bugsy Siegel named Gus Greenbaum who also had ties to Al Capone.
Hensley ran his business with the help of his brother Gene and they were tried for bootlegging liquore
Prosecutors accused the defendants of conspiring to conceal the details of their transactions by falsifying federal forms some 1,284 times between 1945 and 1947.
for which
The jury found Jim guilty of seven counts of making false entries, and Gene of 23 counts. It also convicted both men of the conspiracy charge. The court sentenced Gene to one year in federal prison and Jim to six months and fined both men $2,000. (An appeals court eventually suspended Jim's sentence and sent Gene to a prison camp but affirmed the convictions.)
Much of the material Schreiber offers has appeared previously, in things like the biographical writing of Robert Timberg, or in more recent articles. It is interesting to see all the pieces put together.
The piece is subtitled "How Cindy Hensley invented John McCain." Now remember the incident with her mouth wired shut, and then consider this paragraph from Schreiber:
These days, the Cindy who accompanies her husband on the stump is still largely mute. Profiles describe her as deeply ambivalent about McCain's run for president, and she gives the impression of dutiful--rather than enthusiastic--participation. With the exception of her poorly received jab at Michelle Obama's patriotism, she's hardly registered in the political conversation.
And also consider the words of Cindy's half-sister, Kathy, about whom most of us have learned only recently:
As Kathy talked, it became clear that Cindy's childhood had instilled a particular lesson: If she put on a perpetually good face, she'd eventually be rewarded. And, for a while, it looked like that bargain had held. John McCain seemed to be a reward ten times over. By marrying him, Cindy was pleasing one father and getting another. Except it didn't quite work out that way.
Leaves on the Current, my spouse, has noted several times that when she looks at Cindy Hensley McCain, she is inevitably reminded about Thelma "Pat" Ryan Nixon - a dutiful spouse who seems quite unhappy about what she is going through for her husband's ambition. I think of her forced laug/smile in South Dakota with the Senator's joke about entering her in the contest.
I suspect that the Schreiber piece will not be the only example we will see of the press examining McCain's background in far more detail than he has previously experienced. Certainly we saw that as well with the recent CNN piece.
Still, given the degree to which McCain has over his career had associations with people who were corrupt and often convicted - Jim Hensley, Charles Keating, Jack Abramoff, for example - one wonders if "Made Man" might not be an appropriate description?
I am off today - 4 days of teacher prep week, then on Monday we have students. I glanced at the piece and found myself drawn in. Perhaps some of you will be as well.
I hope that you you will be able to access the entire piece through the link I gave you (we have a subscription, and hence online access) and if not, perhaps someone can provide a signon that will give complete access.
Just something else to ponder besides even more bloviations on vice presidential nominations.
Peace.