Cindy McCain Has Another Forgotten Half-Sister

Washington Post:

When Cindy McCain talks about growing up, she usually refers to herself as an "only child" -- a phrase that ignores the existence of her half sisters.

"It's terribly painful," Kathleen Hensley Portalski said yesterday. "It is as if she is the 'real' daughter. I am also a real daughter."

Portalski and McCain are both children of the late Jim Hensley, the Arizona businessman who founded one of the largest beer distributorships in the nation. Kathleen, 65, is the product of Hensley's first marriage in the 1930s to Mary Jeanne Parks. Hensley divorced Parks for Marguerite "Smitty" Johnson, whom he met at a West Virginia hospital in World War II and married in 1945. Cindy was born nine years later.

...

But there's more: Cindy McCain has another half sister. Before her marriage to Hensley, Johnson had a daughter, Dixie Burd, by a previous relationship. Burd, who is much older than Cindy, could not be reached for comment.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[lihubryh]

I would just like to understand. Given that the McCains are in a political race and given that they SHOULD know, there are no secrets in this world, the question for me becomes this. Why not, during an interview, simply say, I was raised as an only child, however, both my parents had one child from a previoius marriage. I did not grow up with my half siblings and so we really have no contact with each other and don't know each other. It seems to me, she would have then told the truth and there would be nothing to "uncover". Well, maybe except for the little part about cutting everyone out of any money from the parents estate. But, even here, she has at least a legal reason for not giving them money if there was no mention of them in the will. It would seem that she had a really really crappy father (and mother) who would allow nothing to be left to their other children. However, that was not her call. What would have made her the hero and a decent human being would have been to set up some small trust for each of the siblings...so easy and with so much money and so many houses, she would not even have felt it. An opportunity to be a great lady, missed!!!

[cheshirecat831]

Well, I guess if she can forget her sister, John can forget how many houses he has

[ladydragon]

this is not a good picture of Miss Ann, looks like she needs a Botox treatment. Question, does she have a college education and if so what kind of degree does she have. the story about her siblings hit the WaPo yesterday, I think in the metro section bottom left, but it was in there. I just don't get it, what the heck does pappy see in this girl, what does she bring to the table?

[BabsfromKansas]

She has a degree in education. Pappy sees $$$$$.

[samandally]

Where is the story and outrage over Oblahmas brother George in Africa living in a shanty? Oh, I forgot this is Huffs idea of real coverage, only report bad things about McCain and his family.

[ailbhe]

I feel sorry for the woman on her father financially abandoning her in the will. That is not Cindy McCains fault.

When people ask how many sibling's I have, I only include the ones I grew up with in the same household. It requires too much explanation to add them all because the older kids grew up in different families. Neither to they feel like siblings.

Why can't you bash McCain on his SCARY POLICIES rather than pretending to get worked up over this garbage? Neither candidate should be judged on their extendend families, that is one area of life none of us have control over.

McCain can only be beaten if people know what he is going to do to them when elected. This 'story' only makes him look good, people will think 'well if that's the worst they can get hysterical over, he can't be bad at all' and when you do get justifiably hysterical, they'll ignore you with 'they'll get hysterical over any excuse'.

I hate to bet on the potential of the end of the world but I would probably bet a years salary that the Democrats are dumb enough to lose this election. The Democratic side of the media seems to be trying very hard (yet again) to lose.

[Veratruth]

MSM executives have something in common with McCain. They can define "RICH."

[MRb1000]

How many more shoes will drop? How many more skeletons in the closet the United state Army. How could you disown a sister or a brother. Why the hate!! Seems to me like a very shallow person.

[ex-pat]

Proof of why some species should eat their young

[Cynth]

Her image just gets colder and colder...

[Mij13]

Many are cold, but few are frozen.

[BabsfromKansas]

LOL

[mikey683]

The Italian edition of Vanity Fair said that it had found George Hussein Onyango Obama living in a hut in a ramshackle town of Huruma on the outskirts of Nairobi."No-one knows who I am," he told the magazine, before claiming: "I live here on less than a dollar a month."

Nuff said?

[mikey683]

Of course Obama has a half-brother living in squalor in Africa he doesn't seem to care about so how is this anything but "smear"? Honestly you people are idiots.

[HC4BO]

New Pro-Obama book coming out soon ...

Digg It :

http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/Obama_s_Challenge_by_Robert_Kuttner_Chelsea_Green

Pre-order at Amazon at Reduced Price ...

[KBAR]

Probably only take BHO's 1/2 brother about 3YEARS!!!! To afford a copy.

[Daisy1111]

Let's talk about Obama 7 half brothers & sisters he never mentions.. He only acknowledge his mother's other child. But papa was a busy guy.

C i n d y did not grow up in the same household as those two siblings. Ergo - she did grow up as "an only child."

[IowaKid]

So that doesn't make them her half sisters. Looks like running around with married men and women run in the family.

[notthistime]

and there you have it IowaKid

[Meah]

One is her Father's first child from another marriage, hence a half sister. The other is her mother's child by another man, hence another half sister. She is the only child of her mother and father together. But she is related to these two half sisters. Most people like to claim such people in their family. Except when one gets all the money, I guess. Her daddy was quite a guy. Not too many scruples, it would appear.

[lotuslike]

Creepy, non-family­-respectin­g mccains. He leaves his first wife and kids after her horrible, disfiguring accident--- cindy cuts off her siblings after gaining hold of daddy's will.

Family values we can believe in.

[realityczech4u]

No mention made here on Huf fpo of course, that Obama's brother has been found living in a hut.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/barackobama/2590614/Barack-Obamas-lost-brother-found-in-Kenya.html

[Destin]

I guess you didn't even look at HuffPo's main page, they had the Obama bro story on there earlier today when I was looking at it. To me it's a non-issue, since these 2 brothers grew up apart in 2 different countries and probably not even knowing each other existed.

That's wholly different from Cindy McCain growing up in the SAME household as some of her siblings that she's patently disowned.

[realityczech4u]

It makes no difference to me. Meddling in the personal lives of the candidates or the personal lives of their spouses or other family members is cheap, sensationalistic, tabloid-level journalism. Period. The National Enquirer attack on John Edwards is also a disgrace.
So John's weenie wandered. Big friggin deal. It's between him and his wife.

[ECB]

Can you imagine what she looks like when she first wakes up in the morning - BEFORE she packs on the make-up.

[txgal44]

Does Cindy have a broken arm? What happened and furthermore, who did it?

[Meah]

Someone shook her hand pretty hard apparently. And she is pretty bony.