character

from Glenn Greenwald:

McCain's first wife was in a near-fatal car accident when he was in Vietnam and she was raising their children, an accident which debilitated her, causing her to gain substantial weight and actually lose several inches of height.

McCain learned of how disfigured she was for the first time when he returned home in 1973.

A few years later, McCain began carrying on extramarital affairs, including with the very young, very pretty, and very rich heiress Cindy Hensley, for whom McCain eventually divorced his disfigured first wife in order to marry. McCain's three children (from his first marriage) were so disgusted by McCain's treatment of their mother that they boycotted the wedding. But not all was lost. Cindy's family money and Arizona connections launched McCain's political career.