We know John and Cindy McCain are seriously wealthy - Cindy's fortune has been estimated at $100 million, and they have seven, yes, seven homes (if you're keeping track at home, there's the estate in Sedona, which has two houses on it, the $4.7 million condo in Phoenix, the condo in Arlington, VA, the condo in La Jolla, and the two condos in Coronado, California). But today, Politico managed to unearth a few juicy details that show us just what kind of a lifestyle that gets you. Sure, Cindy buys $3000 suits - not that big a deal. But here are some other interesting points:
- Since 2004, they've spent $11 million on real estate.
- At times, Cindy has charged as much as $500,000 on one credit card and $250,000 on another in a single month. You really have to work hard to charge three quarters of a million dollars in one month. What is she buying, gold-plated Ferraris?
- Though the McCains spent a modest $184,000 on household staff in 2006, in 2007 they spent $273,000. And who can blame them? It's so hard to get good help these days.
- This is my favorite quote, about why they own two condos in the same building in the beachside town of Coronado: "When I bought the first one, my husband, who is not a beach person, said, 'Oh, this is such a waste of money; the kids will never go,'” she told Vogue. “Then it got to the point where they used it so much I couldn't get in the place. So I bought another one.”
Finally, I have a question: When, oh when, will the media frenzy over the fact that the McCains were delinquent on their property taxes ever end? Oh wait - it never started.
--Paul Waldman
