Cindy's Considerable Coin May Cost Political Capital

Cindy McCain family's fortune—being used for campaign subsidies, hefty real-estate purchases, big credit card tabs, unpaid property taxes, and huge household help budgets—is raising eyebrows on the campaign trail, Kenneth Vogel writes in Politico. And Democrats seem ready to collect, with interest, on the scrutiny aimed at Teresa Heinz Kerry in 2004.

John McCain's campaign has not yet said whether Cindy—worth roughly $100 million—will release her full 2007 tax return, so Democratic researchers might have to settle for what information is available. Republicans are worrying that a spotlight on their man’s luxurious lifestyle could be as damaging as evidence that family money has helped him politically. (More John McCain stories.)