Cindy McCain’s waited a while for this moment: the time when she can finally speak out about her time on her husband John’s campaign trail. While the Arizona-based heiress insists she loved the experience — especially her hubby’s win in South Carolina — things weren’t always easy. Take, for example, all the press on her supposed "Stepford Wife" status and the loads of other bad press. So, in an effort to clear her name, Mrs. McCain turned to the only journalist she truly trusts: her daughter, Meghan. You know, the one who refuses to comment on her father’s running mate, Sarah Palin.

Asked to describe her hardest day on the campaign trail, Cindy mentioned two specific incidents. One, obviously, was the day John had to concede to Barack Obama. A close second, however, was the day The New York Times ran a scathing article on her, one that painted her as nothing more than a silent observer to her husband’s ambitions. The words weren’t necessarily as painful, she says, as having to explain herself to her children: "I think it was so hard because I had to look at all of you and say we were doing the right thing by running again, and yet it was incredibly difficult, it was incredibly heart-wrenching." The Times wasn’t the only paper that took shots at McCain, of course, and it’s a phenomenon that she still can’t seem to shake, especially the aforementioned Stepford descriptions. The entire thing made her take a hard look at the state of media today. And she doesn’t like what she sees:

Well, I think, without sounding bitter — and I’m not bitter — I do believe there was a media bias. I do believe that the media had a specific agenda and with that said, the American people cast their vote. But I do believe that there is a voyeuristic media: Everyone is a reporter now because everyone has a camera on their phone, the face of reporting in general has changed. There is very little difference now between journalism and gossip.

I truly feel that unless the media goes back to unbiased reporting they are going to do a disservice to the youth of this country. The future of this country lies in the youth and we have to be good stewards of information and truth.

One of the "truths" McCain simply couldn’t fathom was all the attention paid to her clothes, which were ceaselessly dissected and price checked. While the attention may have been a distraction, Cindy insists she never gave them a second thought, an assertion we doubt. Because, come on, you can’t wear such beautiful garments without paying them a bit of mind.

Though she’s still a bit upset by John’s loss, Cindy explains that she’s still making the most of this "bittersweet" Inauguration: "We want President-elect Obama to succeed because it’s what is best for the country. But for me it is a very bittersweet moment and I believe your father would have made a good president. For me it will be a hard moment, but I am proud to be there." We sure hope so, because it’s almost a done deal!