Cindy McCain: A Woman with Heart

During the 2008 Presidential election, Cindy McCain captured our attention as Senator John McCain's wife and the nation's potential First Lady. Throughout the campaign, she stood strong as democrats and the media attacked both her and her family with rumors and accusations that proved never to be true. Unfortunately, few got to know Cindy McCain the philanthropist and woman with a big heart.

Cindy Lou Hensley McCain was born in Phoenix, Arizona to beer distributor James Hensley and his wife, Marguerite. She attended the University of Southern California, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education in 1976 and receiving her Master of Arts in Special Education in 1978. Despite being offered a role in her father's business, she went on to work as a special education teacher at a high school in Arizona. She met John McCain in 1979 and the two were married in 1980. In 1982, McCain began his political career with his wife at his side giving her full support. The couple has four children: Meghan, John IV, James, and Bridget.

Between time spent supporting her husband's political career, raising her children and fulfilling her duties as chair of her late father's company, McCain has worked tirelessly helping needy children and working to improve health care and other issues around the world through a number of charitable organizations, including one she founded herself, the American Voluntary Medical Team (AVMT). The organization, which planned trips for medical professionals to disaster-plagued parts of the world, allowed McCain to lead 55 missions throughout the course of seven years. Trips were taken to places such as Kuwait after the conclusion of the Gulf War, Zaire to help refugees from Rawanda, and many other nations including Nicaragua, India, El Salvador, and Iraq.

In 1991, during a trip to Bangladesh, following the 1991 cyclone, McCain and the AVMT were at Sisters of Charity of Mother Teresa Children's Home when she spotted two baby girls who were in desperate need of medical attention. McCain felt the two girls would benefit from being brought to the United States and they did, in more ways than one. John and Cindy McCain adopted one of the girls (their daughter Bridget) and helped a family friend adopt the other.

In 2001, McCain became involved with Operation Smile, a non-profit organization that provides cleft lip and palate repair to children all over the world. She has traveled to Morocco, Vietnam, and India with the organization and currently serves on the board of directors. She also serves on the board of directors of CARE, one of the largest international humanitarian organizations in the world, and HALO Trust, a nonprofit organization that removes debris left by war, such as landmines. With HALO Trust, McCain has visited Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mozambique and Angola.

Friends of the very private McCain say that despite her wealth and privileged upbringing, working with these organizations is where she is most comfortable and she's not afraid to get her hands dirty. They call it her "defining characteristic," despite how she is often portrayed in the media. In 2008, Vonnie Wray, the development director at Operation Smile told the Arizona Republic that McCain is "low maintenance" and insists, "the thing that differentiates Cindy and why I think she will make an excellent first lady is that she has this true connection with the underserved." Though Cindy McCain never made it to the White House, she is certainly making her mark on the world and its people.

Patricia Heaton: Celebrity Voice for the Pro-Life Movement

The words "conservative" and "Hollywood" aren't usually compatible, but don't tell that to Patricia Heaton. Heaton is one of the few conservative A-list actresses who speaks openly about her politics, religious beliefs, and values. During the 2008 Presidential election, she attended fundraisers for Senator John McCain, supported Governor Sarah Palin, and has volunteered for President George W. Bush. She says she was raised as a Democrat but decided to switch parties when she felt there wasn't a place for "pro-life" members in the Democratic party.

Much of Heaton's activism centers around pro-life issues. She is the Honorary Chair of "Feminists For Life," which is an organization that opposes abortion and embryonic stem cell research from a feminist perspective. She spoke about the organization on an appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor,"

"The early feminists were pro-life. And really, abortion is a huge disservice to women, and it hasn't been presented that way. As Feminists for Life-what we're trying to do is support women, and so what we want to do is-reach women on campus-college campuses so that, when they get pregnant, they can find housing. They can find money they need to stay in school."

In 2005, during the media coverage of Terri Schiavo's last days, in an exclusive interview, Heaton told "Entertainment Tonight" that she was against taking Schiavo's feeding tube away and vowed to fast in her honor. In 2006, Heaton starred in a commercial along with several other celebrities opposing Missouri's proposed constitutional amendment regarding embryonic stem cell research. In a 2004 interview with Life News, Heaton was asked about her stance on abortion,

"I find it impossible to subscribe to a philosophy that believes that the destruction of human life is a legitimate solution to a problem that is mostly social, economic and psychological. In reality, most women 'choose' abortion because they believe they have no other choice."

Patricia Heaton is best known for her role as "Debra Barone" on the show "Everybody Loves Raymond," a role for which she won two Emmys. She was born in Bay Village, Ohio and attended Ohio State University. Heaton has been married to British actor David Hunt for almost twenty years. They have four sons, Sam, John, Joseph, and Daniel.

Angie Harmon: A Conservative Voice from Hollywood

When it comes to politics, it's rare to hear anyone in Hollywood speak out against Barack Obama, much less a true conservative voice. Actress Angie Harmon became the exception to the rule, recently, when she told a Fox News reporter she was not a fan of the current President. She also admitted that she's tired of having to defend herself when it comes to disliking Obama:

Here's my problem with this, I'm just going to come out and say it. If I have anything to say against Obama it's not because I'm a racist, it's because I don't like what he's doing as President and anybody should be able to feel that way, but what I find now is that if you say anything against him you're called a racist. But it has nothing to do with it, I don’t care what color he is.

Harmon went on to say she thought Senator John McCain had more experience and would have done a better job and spoke about how much she likes Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin:

I admire any kind of woman like her...People cannot look at this woman. I really think they're afraid of her and her morals, ethics and values and the fact that she hangs on them. Is she the most experienced person in the world? But she was running to be the Vice President, so we then put the most inexperienced person as the President. That didn't make any sense to me.

This isn't the first time Harmon has spoken out about politics. In 2004, she and her husband, former football player, Jason Sehorn, spoke at the 2004 Republican National Convention and actively supported George W. Bush for President. In 2008, she told Us Magazine she would be voting for McCain and was seen attending several fundraisers for the candidate. She explained her dissent from typical liberal Hollywood, "We have an underground Republican Party."

Harmon, who was born in Texas, currently lives in Los Angeles with Sehorn and their three daughters, Finely, Avery, and Emery. On parenting, Harmon has said she raises her daughters "with a healthy dose of manners and religion." She is perhaps best known for her role on "Law and Order" but has also starred in a number of other films and television shows. When she's not being being a political activist, Harmon is very involved with charity and has worked with various groups such as CJ Foundation for SIDS and the HollyRod Foundation.