SUFFOLK
Wearing a bright red dress and sweet smile, Roberta McCain seemed perfectly at ease among hordes of Republicans who all but swept her off her feet at the Suffolk Peanut Fest on Thursday.
Ease is understandable. At 96, presidential candidate John McCain’s mom has experienced her share of excitement. She loved the festival, she said. But, more than anything, she was glad to be back in an area she’s always considered home.
“My husband was stationed here – three times,” the woman who asks everybody to call her Roberta said. “My children were here. We loved the area.”
Roberta was on a whirlwind campaign trip when she stopped off to talk to the Suffolk Ruritans at the popular Shrimp Fest. She’d already been to Arlington, where she was with former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge at the Victory Center.
Like any good politician, she had firm handshakes for the adults, kisses or pats on the head for the children.
“I want you to meet this young man,” someone told her, as a dark-haired youngster was pushed her way. “His dad’s a Navy SEAL .”
Roberta smiled and pulled the youngster closer.
Her husband was a Navy admiral. She eloped, at 19, to marry Jack McCain, then an ensign, in a room atop a Tijuana bar. Her best friend and frequent travel companion is her twin sister, Rowena.
When she went to Europe a few years ago, she was told that, at 88, she was too old to rent a car, according to an August feature in Vogue magazine. So Roberta simply bought a car, a BMW. She left it over there for a while, so she wouldn’t have the problem again.
While driving across country a few years back, according to the article, she was driving that car when she was ticketed for motoring at 112 mph. She said she paid the ticket in the next town because she didn’t want anybody to find out about it.
Scott Matheson, a bystander at the Peanut Fest, said he was impressed with her memory. His late father, Jack Matheson, graduated from the Naval Academy with John McCain, he said.
“She remembered him,” Matheson said, laughing. “When I told her his name, she said, 'He came to my house.’ He did!”
Roberta, at the Shrimp Fest, had just a few words for the Ruritans. She told them she was glad to be there.
“I don’t believe she ever told them she was John McCain’s mother,” said Jerry Coffee, with a grin.
Coffee is a retired Navy captain who spent time with John McCain when they were both prisoners of war in Vietnam. Coffee said he came to the mainland from his retirement home in Hawaii to work for his buddy.
“She’s a very brave woman,” he said. “They thought John was dead for about a year. There has never been a candidate more qualified than her son. Face to face – based on trust – what you see is what you get with John.”
After signing so many autographs, Roberta compared her adventure to an Andy Warhol quote.
“You know what he said about 15 minutes of fame?” she said . “I think I’ve had 13-and-a-half minutes so far.”
The event continues through Sunday, but Roberta has left the Peanut Fest.
Linda McNatt, (757) 222-5561, linda.mcnatt@pilotonline.com.
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marym63204
Ron Paul and Obama have indeed been the leaders as top receivers from donations from soldiers overseas since the beginning. Obama has real Republicans traveling with him like Hagel, who unlike McCain does understand the Powell Doctrine.
Most Europeans think any war is wrong, including Afghanistan. It's up to the next President to get public support for fighting the increasing number of common security treats. Tony Blair used a formula during Clinton: 1/3 of Europeans anti-American, 1/3 pro-American, and another third that can go one way or the other. Bush Senior was able to get two thirds. Obama does not make him self very popular with his statements to send more troops to Afghanistan and kill Bin Laden. Yet, like Bush Senior he will be able to get our allies working with us. McCain cannot even get the support from his own party. The most qualified Republicans are not on his side.
RJS
Yes, but there is that other sticky thing--Barack Obama won the popularity contest in Europe *before* he won it here, and used it as part of his "foreign relations" resume. There is such a thing as being an American president who realizes he needs to be an international statesman (which is what I think JMC is). Then there is such a thing as being, first of all, a citizen of the world, which is what I think BO either is or else he comes across as thinking it is *equally* important to wow the Europeans as to convince his fellow countrymen of something. Cheers, MGM
what year was their last assignment in Europe?
I was stationed in Europe three times as well and bought my American car in Europe. I returned to the US shortly after 9/11. To this day, I have family members and friends in the military in Europe. Hatred has returned to the European continent on a level we've not seen since WWII. McCain suggests his "bomb, bomb, bomb, Iran" song during campaign events is a joke. I don't see how McCain is going to win the propaganda war in Europe thinking EU leaders do not follow every word he speaks and sings during campaign events. In my opinion, the US has been losing the propaganda war in Europe during the last 16 years. McDonalds restaurants were burned down not in the middle East but in France during Clinton, while during Bush Jr. me and wife had to listen to "jokes" about 9/11 victims daily and we watched how our soldiers graves in Europe were disrespected. I will never forget. McCain did.
Um
She puts a dent in the too old to serve argument. We have some good genes running within Mr. McCain.
Roberta McCain
I think that the McCain campaign might not be counting Roberta's appearances, along with Doug McCain's (John's son) and those of other family members who live here in Virginia as campaign events, as the VP said this morning that McCain and surrogates have only appeared here once, in Northern Virginia. They were stressing how many times BO and high level surrogates have visited and saying that JMC doesn't have the money to match the appearances, due to public funding. However, family members do it for free, eh?, and all the better if they live here and can do it almost every day between now and the election. That should make the JMC campaign events' total rise in Virginia! Cheers, MGM
She shouldn't be driving
"I know she has gotten a bunch of speeding tickets," McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers acknowledges.
Hope she doesn't kill someone with the attitude that she doesn't have to follow the law she can just pay the ticket.
OMG over 88 years old and
OMG over 88 years old and driving 112 miles an hour, Not very good judgement, I hope he didn't learn his decision making skills from her.
Also be glad she wasn't in new york. as per this article...
"Meet the speed demons of New York City the 17 drivers whose cars have been seized in the NYPDs tough crackdown on reckless driving.
They are all men, most of them are young and they all like driving blurringly fast sometimes hitting speeds of 120 mph. They turn city streets into speedways late at night, when traffic is light and there is room to vroom.
Somebody driving 100 mph is showing a total disregard for other human beings, Police Commissioner Howard Safir said.