Good News: McCains Actually Own Eight Homes

It appears the Democrats will have to rewrite all the lame jokes they're storing up for the convention as they beat this non-story to death. It's got a short shelf life, but that never dissuaded the left from overplaying a hand before. Heck, they're still telling Dan Quayle potato jokes all these years later, underscoring their lack of humor and creativity.

John McCain's family owns at least eight properties — not the seven Democrats are alleging or the four McCain's staff identified — according to a Politico analysis of property and tax records, as well as interviews.

The presumptive Republican nominee, though, may have some wiggle room in explaining why he couldn't immediately provide an answer when asked by Politico how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own. Sen. McCain himself does not own any of the properties. They're all owned by Cindy McCain, her dependent children and the trusts and companies they control.

Brian Rogers, a McCain spokesman, did not question Politico's analysis, but said his boss's bungling of the how-many-homes question is a nonissue.

"Voters care a lot more about candidates' personal ethics than about how many houses or residences or doghouses that John and Cindy McCain own," he said. He questioned efforts by McCain's Democratic rival, Barack Obama, to exploit the issue, given that Obama benefited from a 2005 land deal with the wife of convicted Chicago businessman — and former Obama fundraiser — Tony Rezko that expanded the Obama family's newly purchased $1.65 million homestead.

Meanwhile, the supersleuths here say it could be as many as 11.

They really think they have an issue here, but it reflects more on how weak their candidate is if they think this will translate into votes. What they overlook is the fact Americans aspire to be wealthy, not to be jealous of it.