Cindy, the people’s First Lady

Cindy McCain is hovering over the final weeks of the American election campaign like the ghost of the Princess of Wales, recast as a character in the 1970s potboiler Valley of the Dolls. There is something terribly unhappy about the woman who might yet become First Lady.

With the numbers running against John McCain - the 72-year-old Vietnam vet is exhausted and crabbier than ever, his arms filled with pain and his tongue tart - the New York Times ran a profile of Cindy, suggesting emotional distance while recalling her old pill-popping habits.

McCain immediately called out the lawyers and threatened a lawsuit, complaining that the liberal Times was never as rude about Michelle Obama, and