Bridget McCain

In 1991, Cindy McCain, the second wife of Senator John McCain, visited an orphanage in Bangladesh that was part of the network of facilities run by Mother Teresa. She brought a three-month-old girl back to the U.S., where the McCains adopted her, giving her the name Bridget.

During the 2000 Republican primary in South Carolina, a controversial push poll suggested to voters that Bridget McCain was an "illegitimate black child" of John McCain's. In a coordinated effort, a Republican operative, the allusively named Richard Hand of Bob Jones University, sent a mass e-mail claiming that McCain had "chosen to sire children without marriage."

The tactic was near-universally acknowledged to have been the handiwork of the Bush campaign, and specifically of its chief strategist, Karl Rove, whose career in politics included many similar events. Rove has denied involvement, and in April, 2008, reportedly provided consultation services to McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.

"Well it was primarily my wife's Cindy's idea. She was in Bangladesh and she and some of the medical personnel visited Mother Theresa's orphanage to try and help the children there. There were two little baby girls there. One had a heart problem the other a severe cleft palate. Cindy was very concerned about their ability to survive and their need for medical treatment, so she decided to bring them here for medical treatment. She fell in love with both of them. We decided to adopt Bridget. Two close friends of ours adopted Mickey, the other child."—John McCainDadMag.com: Interview with John McCain