Celebrity Mound

Over the past year, dozens of celebrities from Kristin Cavallari to Steve-O to Kim Zolciak have posed for the “NOH8″ photo campaign in an effort to overturn Proposition 8 and legalize same sex marriage in California.

The latest high-profile figure to take part in the initiative is a little more surprising: Sen. John McCain’s wife, Cindy.

“I couldn’t be more proud of my mother for posing for the NOH8 campaign,” daughter Meghan McCain tweeted on Wednesday morning. “I think more Republicans need to start taking a stand for and civil rights in this country and set the example that this is not a partisan issue.”

Cindy McCain’s position stands in contrast to her husband’s, the former GOP presidential nominee, who opposes gay marriage.

Sen. McCain’s office issued a statement Wednesday evening affirming his own stance on gay marriage without addressing the ad campaign directly.

“Senator McCain respects the views of members of his family,” spokesperson Brooke Buchanan said. “The senator chaired the effort to successfully pass Arizona Proposition 102, the Marriage Protection Amendment, and his opposition to gay marriage remains the same. Senator McCain believes the sanctity of marriage is only defined as between one man and one woman.”

The photo shoot took place in the desert outside of Los Angeles last week. Cindy McCain’s desire to participate took photographer Adam Bouska by surprise.

“I was shooting the cover for Meghan’s tell-all political book that she’s writing, and her mother just came along for support, and suddenly asked if it was okay if she lent her face for the cause,” Bouska told Pop Tarts. “We were definitely surprised. We always knew where Meghan stood on the issue (she was one of the first to pose and show her support in June last year), but we weren’t sure about Cindy. She said it shouldn’t matter what political party you are part of, that shouldn’t be the issue that divides you.”

Bouska also said the response he has received since releasing Cindy’s photo has been overwhelming.

“Many people feel that she is taking a more progressive stance on gay marriage than Obama,” he added. “I hope this will help people see that it is okay to be gay and a Republican. There are so many bigger issues like war and health care we have to worry about; we shouldn’t have to be wasting time on this. It is basic human rights.”

Meanwhile Meghan McCain is slated to be the keynote speaker during February’s National Equality Week at George Washington University; although there was a misunderstanding as to whether or not she was still invited to attend given her opinion on the issue of gay marriage.

The GW College Republicans withdrew their co-sponsorship of the event after learning that she would be talking about Marriage Equality Week, not “what it means to be a Republican,” as they originally were told.

McCain thought this meant her speaking engagement had been canceled, but later tweeted that “until further notice” she was still scheduled to speak at the university.

“The event is still occurring,” Rob Noel, Communications Director at GW Republicans, said. “[But] the GW College Republicans will not be co-sponsoring Meghan McCain’s visit to GW to deliver the keynote address during Marriage Equality Week. Ms. McCain’s views on marriage equality align with neither the Republican Party nor her father’s personal stance. Though we fully supported John McCain’s candidacy for President, we feel that Meghan McCain’s last name is not near as important as the message she advocates.”

Hot topic!

A day after John and Cindy McCain were grilled on ABC’s The View, she blasted the show for not representing the American people’s views and beliefs.

During their appearance Friday, they were asked about everything from Gov. Sarah Palin to their houses to the separation of church and state.

At one point, Joy Behar told McCain that two of his campaign ads are “untrue … they’re lies.” Later, when McCain mentioned that he wanted to appoint Supreme Court justices who “strictly interpret” and “enforce” the Constitution, Goldberg asked: “Do I have to be worried about becoming a slave again?”

“In spite of what you see … in the newspapers, and on shows like The View — I don’t know if any of you saw The View yesterday, they picked our bones clean — in spite of what you see, that’s not what the American people are saying and what they are believing,” Cindy said at Saturday’s 119th annual Oakland County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day Dinner, ABC News reports.

She continued, “They are now seeing a clear difference with these candidates, and they are seeing who is going to make the best President, and that’s why we’re pulling ahead.”

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One of the persistent memes in the Republican line of attack against Barack Obama is the notion that he is an elitist, whereas the G.O.P. represent real working Americans like Levi “F-in’ Redneck” Johnston.

It caught our attention, then, when First Lady Laura Bush and would-be First Lady Cindy McCain took the stage Tuesday night wearing some rather fancy designer clothes. So we asked our fashion department to price out their outfits.

Laura Bush
Oscar de la Renta suit: $2,500
Stuart Weitzman heels: $325
Pearl stud earrings: $600–$1,500
Total: Between $3,425 and $4,325

Cindy McCain
Oscar de la Renta dress: $3,000
Chanel J12 White Ceramic Watch: $4,500
Three-carat diamond earrings: $280,000
Four-strand pearl necklace: $11,000–$25,000
Shoes, designer unknown: $600
Total: Between $299,100 and $313,100

Wow! No wonder McCain has so many houses: his wife has the price of a Scottsdale split-level hanging from her ears.

(All prices except Laura’s shoes and Cindy’s watch are estimates, and the jewelry prices are based on the assumption that the pieces are real.)

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Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s wife, Cindy, and Bill Clinton have cooked up a controversy in Family Circle.

Cindy and Bill along with Michelle Obama submitted cookie recipes for the magazine’s 5th Presidential Bake-Off, but it appears that the former president and Mrs. McCain swiped their recipes from well known sources, according to The Huffington Post.

The July issue features a recipe for “Cindy McCain’s Oatmeal-Butterscotch Cookies.” The only problem? It appears to be directly copied from the Hershey’s website.

“They are an absolute must whenever the whole family gets together,” Cindy raves to Family Circle.

Although Bill attributes his oatmeal cookie recipe to a longtime Clinton family cook, the recipe is identical to a Betty Crocker recipe. The Huffington Post published both recipes and they appear the same.

This isn’t the first time Cindy has come under fire in the kitchen.

A McCain intern lifted Rachael Ray’s recipe for rosemary chicken (as well as other Food Network recipes) and posted them as “Cindy’s Recipes” on her husband’s presidential campaign site.

But Ray told Usmagazine.com in a statement: “These recipes are supposed to be accessible to everyone – interns, senators, students and families alike!

“I am flattered when anyone cooks my food.”

(source)