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JoAnn Desilets of Spotsylvania greets Roberta McCain, mother of the GOP nominee, at his local campaign office.
Roberta McCain talks to volunteers and staffers at the local campaign headquarters of her son, Republican presidential nominee John McCain. Her visit yesterday was part of a three-day tour of Virginia to thank campaign workers. |
Roberta McCain, 96 years old, may be the last secret weapon of Election 2008.
The mother of Republican presidential nominee John McCain sparkled and charmed her way through a 40-minute visit yesterday to local Republican headquarters in Stafford County.
Compared with recent political rallies in the area, Mrs. McCain's appearance was warm and low-key.
She arrived right on time, with no suited security detail and little fanfare. Just two companions accompanied her on a three-day trek through Virginia this week to thank volunteers working for her son and Republican candidates for Congress.
The Stafford visit was the eighth of nine stops that took Mrs. McCain from Fairfax to Blacksburg and back to Northern Virginia.
Petite, with perfectly coifed white hair, Mrs. McCain wore a silver-and-pink suit with a jeweled McCain 2008 pin on one lapel and a flag pin on the other. She shared hugs, handshakes and thank-yous with admirers who crowded the campaign's office suite.
The event was private, but local reporters were invited to cover it--kind of. They were directed not to ask Mrs. McCain any questions, and not to ask any of the 50 or so volunteers anything except how to spell their names.
This visit wasn't about the issues, anyway--unless the issue is whether a candidate's own mother would vote for him. For the record, she certainly would.
"He's a man of experience, of integrity and of honesty," Mrs. McCain said, "and he has the things we need today."
The volunteers burst into cheers and applause.
Mrs. McCain especially thanked the youngest supporters present, from a pumpkin-bedecked baby in her father's arms to several University of Mary Washington students.
"You're just starting out, and you have opportunities to make our country better," Mrs. McCain told them.
The widow of an admiral, Mrs. McCain lives in Washington. She has two other children.
Several volunteers blinked back tears as they posed with her for photos underneath a poster of her smiling son.
"God led me," Eugene Johnson of Spotsylvania County said as he greeted the candidate's mother with a warm handshake. "I believe in this country, and I believe in your son."
"We love your son, and we hope he wins," said volunteer Kathleen Titus of Spotsylvania. Another Spotsylvanian, JoAnn Desilets, presented Mrs. McCain with a bouquet of red, white and blue flowers, then gave her a hug.
The well-wishes and picture-taking over, Mrs. McCain headed back to the parking lot with traveling companions Liza Rauch and Bobbie Kilberg.
In just a couple of hours, they had to be in Woodbridge. It was the last stop of a driving tour they made in Kilberg's personal car.
"We call it Roberta's Great Adventure Road Trip," Kilberg said with a smile.
Laura Moyer: 540/374-5417
Email: lmoyer@freelancestar.com
