A Family Affair For The McCains And Palins At RNC
(MINNEAPOLIS) Members of both the McCain and Palin families met John McCain as he stopped off his plane in Minneapolis today, including Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol and her boyfriend Levi Johnston.
This is the first time McCain has met Johnston, who is the father of Bristol Palin's unborn child. The two are scheduled to be married, and McCain hugged Bristol when he arrived and spoke for several minutes to both of them with his hands on their shoulders.
It is also the first time McCain has met Track Palin, the Alaska family's eldest son who recently enlisted in the Army and will soon deploy to Iraq.
John and Cindy McCain's two youngest sons, Jack and Jimmy, are members of the armed services as well. They received special permission from the military to attend the Republican Convention, but per armed services regulations, they cannot wear their uniforms at political events. Jack is in his final year at the Naval Academy, and Jimmy is a private in the Marine Corps who has served in Iraq. McCain at first shook Jimmy's hand as he got off the plane, then gave him a hug as they chatted briefly.
The two McCain boys are seldom on the campaign trail with their father due to their military commitments, and the McCain's have said they don't like to talk about them while campaigning, although Cindy has been mentioning that she's a "proud mother" of two sons serving in the military when she introduces her husband at rallies and town hall events.
The McCain's two daughters, Meghan and Bridget, were also on hand to meet their father, as were the three grown children from McCain's first marriage. Sarah and Todd Palin, as well as their other children Willow, Piper, and Trig, also greeted McCain as he arrived.