[Waiting4Celeste]

I didn't know until tonight that he and his wife, Cindy, adopted their youngest daughter from Bangladesh after she saw her as an infant in Mother Teresa's orphanage.

John McCain's adopted daughter from Bangladesh introduced - Telegraph

Maybe he would be an advocate for international adoption once he becomes president!!

[ohanagirl]

I did know this. I think it is odd that the cover of People magazine and all the photo opp's do not show her though. Then at the convention they made this big deal about how they saved her and kept bringing up she is the "adopted" one. I don't know about all of you but I do not plan on approaching my daughters life story with "I saved you from a life of poverty..."
Anyways- sorry if I am a little too politically charged!! I don't want to offend anyone- I just love convention time!

[Waiting4Celeste]

Originally Posted by ohanagirl

I did know this. I think it is odd that the cover of People magazine and all the photo opp's do not show her though. Then at the convention they made this big deal about how they saved her and kept bringing up she is the "adopted" one. I don't know about all of you but I do not plan on approaching my daughters life story with "I saved you from a life of poverty..."
Anyways- sorry if I am a little too politically charged!! I don't want to offend anyone- I just love convention time!

I didn't really get the feel of "we saved you" from the short video of her tonight. I thought that the video was classy and didn't exploit the situation at all. I was glad to hear the story of how she came to be their daughter. We can all relate to the first time that we saw our children and fell in love.

It seems that people in the media spotlight "can't win" when it comes to sharing that their children are adopted. Either we complain that they put too much emphasis on the fact that they are adopted, or we complain that they don't tell enough.

[MicheleB]

I did know he had adopted a daughter from Bangladesh. He and his wife are adoption advocates and his wife Cindy has done tons of humanitarian trips to other countries helping the children of the world for no other reason than to do it. She has been doing humanitarian work for years and years prior to her husband being involved in the any type of political venue. From what I have seen - they do not treat her as the "adopted" daughter.

As far as why she was highlighted tonight - back in 2000 when John McCain began his campaign to run for President for that upcoming term - a smear campaign was out of control. It virtually ended the beginning of his campaign. The big story was that McCain had an affair and the daughter in their family who was obviously of different nationality was from that affair. The reason this smear campaign was so successful was BECAUSE they had not mad a big deal about the fact that she was adopted. So, because she was not labeled "adopted" people assumed that their was something fishy going on. Unfortunately, they have had to bring up that fact that she was adopted only to stop any further "rumors" that there was any infidelity.

As far as adoption reform? I am not holding my breath. Would love to see it, have been waiting for a long time for it! I will say though - I was very much on the fence about who I would be voting for but after watching with an open mind all four speeches (Biden, Obama, Palin, and McCain), I have no choice but to vote for someone whom I can at least hope will be an advocate for families with special needs children and for adoption. (as having been mentioned in Palin and McCain's speeches.)

That's my 2 cents worth!

[MicheleB]

An interesting interview I found regarding McCain and adoption is in an online Dad's magazine.

Here is the link: Senator John McCain Talks About the Challenges of Fatherhood, from DadMag.com

It was after he stopped the campaign for president back in 2000 I believe.

Just thought it was interesting...

[Mindybeth6]

I second Michele on the reasoning but I did not feel his daughter was exploited at ALL. I thought the video was touching. She is a beautiful girl and I LOVED the video of Cindy holding her in the orphanage. Love it. So happy.

[ohanagirl]

Any thoughts on why she is rarely photographed with the family for publicity shots?
I respect Cindy McCain's humanitarian works. I did not see tonight's video. I believe it was two nights ago where the other baby they brought home and her father were on stage. Happy Election Season

[amyfk]

I think it was my therapist who told me John McCain is an adoptive father. That was neat.
I listened to the convention earlier this evening and it made it sound like his wife went on a trip to Bangladesh and happened to see all of these poor people and visited the orphans. They made it sound like she physically just took the girl right out of the orphanage and brought her home.
This cannot be can it? Even if a country has a ton of orphans doesnt everyone have to fill out paperwork and go through background checks? Im assuming there was more to the story than they told on TV............
Thanks,
Amy K, NJ

[Mariais5]

All you have to do is google Bridget McCain and click on images.. You'll find all the photos you could ever want to see of her in the past several years...

[Mindybeth6]

Originally Posted by amyfk

I think it was my therapist who told me John McCain is an adoptive father. That was neat.
I listened to the convention earlier this evening and it made it sound like his wife went on a trip to Bangladesh and happened to see all of these poor people and visited the orphans. They made it sound like she physically just took the girl right out of the orphanage and brought her home.
This cannot be can it? Even if a country has a ton of orphans doesnt everyone have to fill out paperwork and go through background checks? Im assuming there was more to the story than they told on TV............
Thanks,
Amy K, NJ

This happened a long time ago keep in mind and we all know how strings can be pulled when you have money...DON'T FLAME ME FOR THAT I HAVE SEEN IT FIRSTHAND. Now I am not saying this is the case with them, as I don't know much about the specifics of the adoption. But when I saw an interview with McCain he said his wife basically just came home on a plane with a baby and she asked him what he thought, if he thought she was beautiful at the airport, and he said he did, and she said "good, meet your new daughter." NOW...how much of that is actually TRUE I don't know, he did say it in a public forum quite seriously. I will have to look for some details. If it IS true it's quite shocking. I can't imagine bringing home a child in that way without your husband not knowing. Like I said though...there has to be more to the story.

[SKL]

I'm not expert on this, but I interpreted what I read to say that Cindy brought the babies home to get medical help, and fell in love along the way. She may have been thinking about adopting from the first second, but nothing was decided, let alone finalized, until later.

I have read that the process toward their adoption, once they decided to do it, was tedious and intrusive like ours, though I don't know all the details.

I would guess the reason why things happened so quickly in Bangladesh was that Mother Teresa herself was personally involved. I would guess Mother Teresa was one of the few people with more influence than money.

[Jo Ellen]

I just found out that the McCains had adopted Bridget and I missed the video but hope to see is sometime. What I find interesting is that on the same presidental ticket we have the McCains... adoptive parents and the Palins... parents of a teen having a baby that she and her future husband plan to keep. I think it is all great just not a common senerio.... IMO. What I can hope for out of this if they are elected is support for the things we all so rightly deserve here as adoptees, young unwed moms. and adoptive parents.

[adoptnky]

There is more to the story. This is the way that I understand it.

Cindy McCain was visiting an orphanage started by Mother Theresa. They were providing medical care to some of the children there.

Two little babies were very sick. They both had medical problems. Cindy was able to bring them to the United States for further medical treatment. I believe that Bridget had a cleft lip/palate (or at least the palate). So, I believe they brought the girls to the US very similar to what happened with Baby Alex that we fostered.

I think that Cindy fell in love with that little girl and then wanted to adopt her. I don't know much about the actual adoption. (like how it actually, legally happened)

Here's a reference:

This is from an online story in Harper's Bazaar

Cindy McCain: Myth vs. Reality - Bazaar.com

That wrath was reserved for Bangladesh's minister of health and human welfare, who in 1991 tried to stop her from leaving his country with two sick, abandoned baby girls, one of whom is now the McCains' 15-year-old adopted daughter, Bridget. In Bangladesh for a month with the American Voluntary Medical Team (a nonprofit founded and funded by Cindy), she arrived at Mother Teresa's orphanage in Dhaka to find "160 baby girls who'd been dumped. And I just came upon this one baby — though I absolutely believe Bridget picked me — with a cleft palate so severe that, if it wasn't fixed, she'd die because the nuns couldn't feed her. Each time we returned, I'd hold her, play, marvel even then at her tenacious strength. Finally I wound up getting medical visas for her and another baby with a heart condition — not thinking about adoption — just getting them help."
As she was leaving for the airport, Cindy got a message from the minister of health, "wanting to see me and the babies. I went, and there were all these men talking to each other while I sat with two infants, not understanding a word. Finally one said, 'We can do surgery on this child.' But they had no intention of helping her, and I had to make a plane, so I just slammed my fist on the table, shouting: 'Then do it! What are you waiting for?' They were so stunned, he immediately signed the papers. I don't know where I got the nerve. I could've been arrested."
By the time she landed in the United States, Cindy "realized I couldn't give up this child" and called her husband, telling him about her charges and asking him to meet her at the airport. "When I disembarked carrying Bridget, John said, under his breath, 'Where's she going?' I said, 'To our house.' He laughed. 'I thought so.'" She chuckles. "I brought home a baby without telling him, and he not only took it in stride but loved it, immediately embracing Bridget, who shares John's very dry sense of humor, so she and her dad do pretty well together. If I hadn't taken Bridget out, I think she would have become a prostitute or, worse, died." (The other infant was adopted by another family.) Her children, meanwhile, completely accepted their new sister. "They saw no difference; they never did. Nor did she, until recently."

(the last sentence has to do with the fact that in 2000 during his presidential run there were rumors that McCain fathered Bridget in an affair - there is more about that in the article)

McCain also talks about it in the DadMag article that was already posted.

Kim

[TheMomma08]

I'm ready 4 some football, you didn't have foster/adopt class last night by chance did ya?

[DPline]

Time magazine did a cover story on both candidates in the last week or two and her story is told in the one on McCain with pictures though not really detailed. Just if someone wants to take a look at it.