Exclusive: Cindy McCain's Straight Talk

May 25, 2007 — -- Cindy McCain wants to dispel a misconception about her husband's famous temper. The way she sees it, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is misunderstood.

"[People] misunderstand passion and call it temper," McCain told ABCNEWS.com in an exclusive interview. "He is passionate, and a very patriotic man. When he sees his country or the president -- of either party -- maligned, he takes it personally. It is not temper."

Though she lacks the high profile of some of her counterparts in the presidential race, McCain is poised to have a greater presence on the campaign trail in the coming months.

She's already been a regular aboard the Straight Talk Express and at fundraisers, and she's attending a NASCAR race in North Carolina this weekend.

The couple's 23-year-old daughter Meghan "plans on taking an active role," McCain said, though their two sons who are in the military -- one is a Marine, the other a cadet at the U.S. Naval Academy -- are restricted from taking part in political activities. The McCains also have a 15 year old daughter, Bridget. And the Senator has three adult children from his first marriage.

McCain said the entire family was involved in her husband's decision to run for president, and the children's concerns extended far beyond the impact on their personal lives.

"We had a very long conversation over Christmas," said McCain, 53. "[Their] major concern was where he was on global warming. I was really proud they asked great questions."

McCain, the senator's second wife, is the source of much of the couple's personal wealth. Her family owns Hensley and Co., one of the nation's largest Anheuser-Busch beer distributors, and she has been the company's chairwoman since 2000.

She has also been active in charity work, leading overseas medical missions and working closely with an organization that seeks to remove land mines in war-torn countries.

If her husband is elected president, she said she would aim to expand her work on behalf of charities.

"These kind of things I've done all of my adult and married life," she said. "It plays a large part of what I'm all about. I would even pick it up more."