Cindy McCain and Jay Leno

I don't know much about John McCain's wife Cindy.

I know a lot about Hillary Clinton's spouse. (Actually, I know more about Bill than I want to know.)

I also feel I'm getting to know quite a bit about Barack Obama's wife Michelle. She's very active out there on the campaign trail. As the Dem primary process lingers on, I'm learning more about the sort of person she is.

To date, Cindy McCain has been in the shadows compared to Bill and Michelle.

That's why it was nice that Cindy was a guest on Wednesday's Tonight Show.

She made a stunning entrance, wearing a bright yellow jacket and slacks. When I say bright, I mean BRIGHT.

Jay Leno was a gracious host. He was very courteous.

They didn't talk politics. Only when Cindy told of the family gathering to discuss McCain's potential run for the presidency did she even mention any issues at all. She said she was impressed that her kids were asking questions about things that matter to them, like global warming and the war. They wanted to know what their dad would do as president.

(Don't they ever watch him on Meet the Press?)

Leno didn't bring up the Democrats at all. Not once. Cindy didn't either. She only said he'll be a great president.

What I learned about McCain's wife, Cindy:

--They have seven children, four together.

--She drives race cars.

--McCain is a bad driver.

--She's a pilot.

--When she first met McCain, he was following her around an hors d'oeuvre table at a party. She was avoiding him because she thought he was weird.

--McCain looks cute in dress whites.

--They both lied about their ages. She said she was four years older and he said he was four years younger. They didn't find out the truth about their ages until they applied for a marriage license. She said their marriage was based on a "tissue of lies."

--She said McCain is not too old to be president. She said that this summer he is going to hike the Grand Canyon rim to rim with two of their sons. She brought along McCain's walking stick and invited Leno to join them.

--She was addicted to painkillers after spinal surgery. She hid her addiction from McCain. When he confronted her about it, then she stopped using.

--She had high blood pressure. She thought she could manage it through diet and exercise. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough. She had a stroke four years ago. Rehab wasn't easy, but she has recovered.

--When discussing how McCain's campaign hit rock bottom last summer, Leno complimented his determination to keep going. Leno said, "He's a tough old bastard."
Cindy agreed.