The!Washington!Post! http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/reliableHsource/wp/2013/10/25/meghanHmccainHpresentsH awardHinHdHcHwhileHpluggingHherHtalkHshow/! !
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! She!called!her!book!“Dirty!Sexy!Politics”!and!has!weathered!a!minor!VegasHrelated!scandal,!but!when! Meghan!McCain!celebrated!her!29th!birthday!in!D.C.!on!Wednesday,!it!was!all!business.!
Attending!the!Freedom!House!annual!awards!dinner!at!the!Newseum,!McCain!played!a!supporting! role:!Presenting!a!trophy!to!Participant!Media!—!which!owns!the!network!that!airs!her!talk!show,! “Raising!McCain”!—!for!its!efforts!in!raising!awareness!about!human!rights.!But!the!GOP’s!favorite! party!girl/talk!show!host!couldn’t!resist!throwing!in!a!little!of!her!own!personality!into!the!tribute.! “This!is!the!first!time!I!have!ever!worked!for!any!company,!ever!—!and!when!I!say!company,!I!include! my!father’s!campaign!—!that!has!ever!only!asked!that!I!be!honest!and!truthful!in!entirety!to!myself,”! McCain!told!the!audience.!“Nobody!has!ever!wanted!me!to!be!completely!uncensored.!For!better!or!for! worse,!you!guys!hired!me,!and!that’s!all!I’ve!ever!given!you.”! It!was!one!of!the!few!times!the!crowd!of!about!200!—!awardees,!nonHprofit!staffers,!politicians!—! chuckled!during!the!serious!evening!honoring!social!activism.!But!who!could!blame!them?!John! McCain’s!famously!outspoken!daughter!has!extended!the!15!minutes!of!fame!her!father’s!2008! presidential!campaign!granted!her!into!a!fullHfledged!career.! It!has!included!a!little!bit!of!everything:!A!candid!blog!(where!she!chronicled!the!behindHtheHscenes!on! the!campaign!trail,!including!makeup!tips!and!thoughts!on!politicians’!fashion!choices);!writing!books;! a!Daily!Beast!column;!Internet!fights!with!Ann!Coulter;!a!contributor!gig!on!MSNBC;!and!most!recently,! the!docuHtalk!show!on!Pivot,!the!newlyHlaunched!network!for!Millennials.!Even!the!occasional! controversy,!such!as!that!Vegas!incident!in!2010,!when!she!canceled!on!a!speaking!engagement!to! party!in!Sin!City.!(“That’s!a!true!story,!I!admit!that,”!she!said!recently!on!her!show,!and!blamed!getting! caught!on!“drunk!tweeting.”)! Having!trouble!picturing!other!political!offspring!making!the!same!admission?!It’s!what!sets!McCain! apart!and!has!kept!her!in!the!spotlight!for!so!long!—!without!having!to!change!at!all!over!the!past!five! years.!She’s!still!willing!to!talk!about!anything,!no!matter!how!personal,!or!controversial,!or!whether!it! clashes!with!her!dad’s!political!views.!(He’s!a!guest!on!her!show!Saturday!night.)! McCain’s!disarming,!energetic!demeanor!charmed!the!audience!Wednesday.!After!the!awards!dinner,! McCain!and!her!publicist!tried!to!make!a!quick!exit,!but!were!surrounded!by!admirers.!“You!look! phenomenal,”!one!young!woman!gushed!to!McCain,!clad!in!a!threeHquarterHlength!wineHcolored!dress,! hair!in!a!high!bun,!and!heels.!“That!color!was!made!for!you.”! And!we!had!to!ask:!Is!this!really!how!you’re!celebrating!your!birthday?! Nope,!she!told!us.!“I’m!going!to!Vegas!on!Friday.”! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !