Thursday afternoon, Chatterbox received an e-mail from Cindy McCain, the wife of presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). The e-mail, addressed to supporters of John McCain’s candidacy, conveyed the following secret: “John’s birthday is this Sunday, August 29th! To help him celebrate I have arranged to surprise him with a special gift in Phoenix. Please click on the following for the details of his surprise.”
Unable to resist the invitation, Chatterbox clicked the designated link and was transported to a page on the McCain.2000.com Web site. Under the headline, “Happy Birthday John McCain!,” Cindy explained that her husband has been so busy campaigning, “I doubt if John has given any thought to the fact that he will turn 63 this Sunday. That’s why I’m excited about my plans to surprise him with a special birthday gift in Phoenix on August 29th.” The gift, she confided, will be “a specially-designed Birthday Card that carries your personal best wishes as well as those of so many of his most ardent friends and supporters. I know I can count on you to participate in this project.”
Cindy continued: “And to make sure we can keep the momentum building for John’s campaign and guarantee that he will have the financial resources needed to get his positive, conservative, and independent reform message out to the voters, I’m also hoping you can contribute at least $63, along with your birthday greetings. Your contribution of $63–just $1 for each year–will be a special way to thank John for all he’s done for our state and nation. And if we can meet our goal to present him with a birthday campaign check for $63,000 to accompany our special card, it will give him the added financial boost that’s so necessary to carry his campaign forward. But right now, time is of the essence. To make sure your e-mail will arrive before August 29th, and be included in the special birthday album we will present to John, I must hear from you soon. That is why I urge you to contribute $63–or whatever amount you can forward at this time.”
Chatterbox, whose passion is to be in on secrets, felt deeply honored to be on Cindy’s invitation list. But a sad thought occurred to Chatterbox: What about the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of John McCain supporters who haven’t received Cindy’s e-mail? Will they miss out on the surprise? So Chatterbox decided to use this space to get the word out. Pssst! All of you John McCain supporters out there–his wife is planning a surprise for him this Sunday. Go to his campaign Web site to get the details. And above all–don’t tell John!
