Cindy McCain, the wife of Arizona Senator and Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, celebrates a birthday today. She is 54.

The chair of Hensley & Co., a major beverage distributor, Cindy McCain was a background figure in 2000 but has been ever-present - and much more vocal - in John McCain’s second pursuit of the White House here in 2008.

The McCains have three biological children and a fourth adopted from Asia. Cindy has a Master’s in Special Education from USC and opened a special education teaching career working with disabled children in her native Arizona.

In honor of Mrs. McCain’s birthday, here’s a little gallery of Cindy McCain photos. Click to enlarge, and follow the link for many more!

In 2000, Cindy McCain was mostly a cheerful sidekick to her presidential candidate husband, mostly keeping her positions on policy to herself.

This year, the wife of Sen. John McCain has been back by his side as he seeks the White House for a second time, but even more of a presence.

So ever-present is Cindy McCain that we swear we saw her on reality TV recently… though it turned out to be someone else.

Follow the jump to find out who…

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In breaking news, Cindy McCain, wife of Arizona Senator and Republican nominee John McCain, will co-host The View on Monday, April 21.

The appearance comes after a McCain campaign intern lifted Rachael Ray’s recipe for rosemary chicken (as well as other Food Network recipes) and posted them as “Cindy’s Recipes” on the campaign’s official site.

Blaming an intern, the McCain campaign swiftly responded to Recipe-Gate by removing the recipes after the Huffington Post reported the plagiarism.

Knowingly or not, Cindy McCain was caught in a recipe-stealing scandal.

Ray defended Cindy McCain and even invited her, along with her famous husband, to come on her show, saying in a statement: “These recipes are supposed to be accessible to everyone - interns, senators, students and families alike! I am flattered when anyone cooks my food.”

Follow this link for our gallery of Cindy McCain photos.

Always blame the intern John McCain’s campaign said it was a “low-level, unpaid staff debacle” that resulted in a bunch of Food Network recipes being pawned off as Cindy McCain’s on the candidate’s official web page.

Man. First the McCain girls, now this. Is nothing sacred in this world?

As first observed this weekend the Huffington Post, then further lampooned in the graphic below by celebrity news site TMZ, a John McCain intern apparently decided it was time to add the experience of Rachael Ray to the Arizona Senator’s policy team. Hmm. We knew something about her Ahi Tuna was fishy.

Boooooo!

The McCain campaign apologized for the recipe yoinking. They steadfastly stand by the Iraq war and their head-scratching economic policies du jour, however.

A spokesperson said in a statement that Cindy’s “recipes” have been generating “a tremendous amount of public interest” and they’re working on getting this part of the site back up - maybe with actual recipes by Cindy McCain.

She’s always dressed immaculately, has a beautiful smile and comes across as a fun, laid-back, down-to-earth and supportive spouse.

But who is Cindy McCain?

For most of the public, relatively little is known about the wife of Republican presidential nominee and Arizona Sen. John McCain. Here’s a brief rundown …

Her father founded Hensley & Company, one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in the U.S., and today Cindy is the Chairman of the Board.

The company is reportedly worth an estimated $300 million.

Cindy graduated from the University of Southern California with a teaching degree, but meeting John McCain changed her career plans.

Eighteen years her senior, John McCain first met Cindy after separating from his first wife. Their courtship was brief, and they married in 1980. He first ran for - and won - a U.S. House of Representatives seat in her native Arizona in 1982.

They had three children - Jack, James and Meghan McCain - and adopted a fourth child, who they named Bridget, from Bangladesh in 1991.

John and Cindy McCain after he won the GOP nomination March 4.

Cindy McCain has been and remains an active philanthropist, serving on boards of several charitable organizations. But she and her family are, unfortunately, better known for being dragged through the mud in 2000.

During the 2000 primary in South Carolina, which pitted John McCain against then Texas Gov. George W. Bush, there were push-polls and despicable rumors circulated that Bridget was actually McCain’s illegitimate black child.

In the same race, Cindy McCain was portrayed as an addict.

In 1989, Cindy took prescription pain killers for a back injury sustained in a car crash. Four years later, she was still addicted to then.

She admitted her addiction when confronted, then received help and stopped taking the medicine. But she became the target of smears nonetheless.

Cindy McCain has been more active, ongoing and visible in her husband’s presidential campaign in 2007-2008 than the last time around.

For more on the wife of Sen. McCain and potential First Lady, check out our bio section and our growing gallery of Cindy McCain photos.

Below are a collection of photos leading up to, during and following the March 4 primary elections in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The tension, celebration, the heartbreak, the endorsement of Sen. John McCain by George W. Bush - we’ve seen a lot in the past 72 hours.

Here are some highlights, with many more after the jump. Click to enlarge and visit our gallery to search even more photos by politician (or spouse).

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Okay, maybe that’s a bit extreme. Maybe.

There’s no escaping that George W. Bush has abysmal job performance numbers and an uneasy relationship (at best) with John and Cindy McCain.

With 1,226 delegates under his belt - more than enough for the nomination - John McCain is no longer the GOP nominee-in-waiting, but the nominee.

Receiving the endorsement of a sitting president is a big deal, but given the history and the current commander-in-chief’s plummeting popularity, we’re sure today’s formal announcement at the White House was a bit awkward for all…

Cindy McCain: Embraced by a man with 32.2 percent approval rating!

Herein lies the problem for John McCain: While conservatives remain uneasy about his candidacy, and those conservatives (apparently) still revere George W., just 24 percent of the U.S. feels the country is headed in the right direction.

How can the Maverick appeal to independents while appearing with George W. Bush and giving a speech last night that was, as Democratic strategist Paul Belaga put it, “an eloquent but not very energetic defense of the status quo.”

It’s a fine line. John McCain has no choice but to walk it, which leaves us confident about the chances for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.

He knows it, too. When he starts looking at potential Vice Presidential candidates, as he says he will soon, expect McCain to steer clear of camp W.

We’re not writing Hillary Clinton’s candidacy off, but we’re all very familiar with the former First Lady - as well as the possible future First Gentleman.

Cindy McCain and Michelle Obama, on the other hand, remain a bit of a mystery to many Americans seeing them on the national stage for the first time.

Donkey Dish’s political bios should help you get up to speed on these smart and talented women - as well as the candidates themselves.

We also have ever-expanding galleries of Cindy McCain photos and Michelle Obama photos. Below are just a few - follow the links for many more!

As we come across more quality photos of Michelle, Cindy and other prominent political figures, we’ll add them to our galleries. So check back often!

Having posted another win and inched a bit closer to officially securing the GOP nomination last night, Republican presidential hopeful John McCain hugged his wife, Cindy McCain, during a rally in Appleton, Wisconsin.

The McCains do make a sweet couple, but all John and Cindy McCain photos tell us that much. What we love about this particular photo is the sign held by the young McCain (and Green Bay Packers) fan in the background…

Wonder how Cindy McCain feels about Brett Favre on the ticket …

We’ve already speculated as to some of the names on a McCain V.P. short list, but apparently we left off legendary NFL star Brett Favre. At least in Wisconsin, a McCain-Favre ticket would probably deliver for the GOP.

This New York Times picture is a little dated - January 28 - but is notable for the photographer’s style and for the political symbolism.

Look at the way the posture of John McCain and Cindy McCain contrasts with the more intense press secretary / staffer giving the Arizona senator his daily update. Love him or not, McCain is renowned for his relaxed, easy-going style, which this Stephen Crowley photo illustrates.

It’s also appropriate how John McCain is seen walking right along the line - of a TV cord, presumably - which runs down the middle of the photo.

A candidate thought to be too centrist by many members of his own party, it will be interesting to see if the presumptive GOP nominee continues to walk that fine line - which makes him popular with moderates and independents - or whether he crosses it in an attempt to woo conservatives.