Senator John McCain's wife refuses to release her tax returns and now says she will not do so even if she becomes America's First Lady.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Cindy McCain says she will never make her tax returns public even if her husband wins the White House and she becomes the first lady.

"You know, my husband and I have been married 28 years and we have filed separate tax returns for 28 years. This is a privacy issue.  My husband is the candidate,"

Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting John McCain said in an interview aired on NBC's "Today" on Thursday.

Asked if she would release her tax returns if she was first lady, Cindy McCain said: "No." ...

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Cindy McCain's refusal to release her tax returns gives the appearance of a double standard on the part of her husband.

"What is John McCain trying to hide?" Dean said in a statement. "Throughout this campaign, he has acted like his own calls for openness and accountability apply to everyone but himself. Now he thinks he can bring that same double standard to the White House."

This worries me.  While Mrs. McCain is correct, John would be President, not her;  the idea that we'd have someone in the White House helping to run the Presidency (think of Hillary Clinton and her claims of authority during her campaign), that we know nothing about, is a bit frightening.  

Who does she have financial dealings with and why?  Who's given her money and why?  What deduction is she claiming and why?  What ownership does she have?  Who does she control?

All this relates to her dealings with foreign entities, lobbyists, members of the media and any companies or people she's done business with over the past 28 years of `public life' being Senator John McCain's wife.

This should be a big issue for those white blue collar workers that the media seems to have a fixation on during this campaign.  Does she own the company they work for?

I recommend Senator Barack Obama and other Democrats immediately start hammering Cindy and John about this issue.  This is not right.  She MUST release her taxes if she is to become First Lady with the power that Hillary Clinton claims to have had.