Cindy McCain said her husband knows the personal costs of war.

Introducing him at a rally in Fayetteville today, she said that he took his stands on the Iraq war and the surge knowing that it would affect his two sons.

She pointed to a woman in the audience who had a sign with two Blue Stars, denoting that her children were in the military.

"I'm a two-star Blue Star mom too! Thank you!" she said. 

Gov. Tom Ridge then took the stage, telling the crowd of more than 8,500 that McCain would promote strength and security. He also stressed that the next president could nominate up to three Supreme Court justices.

He also noted the applause and excitement of the crowd. 

"If I didn't know better, I'd say we were at the Duke-Carolina basketball game with all this enthusiasm," he said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham then spoke, arguing that McCain would win North Carolina.  

"He's going to win North Carolina because he fits North Carolina like a glove," he said. "I'll beat Michael Phelps in swimming before Barack Obama wins North Carolina."

John McCain's campaign got an unfortunate metaphor today.

A few minutes after landing at the Fayetteville airport, one of the lead SUVs in the Republican presidential candidate's motorcade got a flat tire.

The motorcade stopped along Airport Road near the intersection with Dunebuggy Lane, just a mile from the general aviation terminal where he had landed.

His wife Cindy, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham and former Homeland Security head Tom Ridge were briefly spotted switching cars. It's not clear yet whether McCain was in the same SUV.

It was not the first bit of bad luck for McCain today, who had to cancel a scheduled event in Quakerstown, Penn., earlier this morning because of rain.

He instead will spend the next two and a half hours doing satellite interviews with national TV news outlets from the Hilton Garden Inn in Fayetteville.

These kinds of car trouble are routine in political campaigns, but they are especially nerve-wracking for staffers when they happen just one week out from the election.

A campaign rally will be held at the Crown Center later this afternoon.

Update: Ridge confirmed that he, the McCains and Graham were in the SUV when it got a flat tire.

"I heard a thump-thump and figured something was wrong," he said. 

For Family Circle magazine, it's a way to get some quick and easy publicity.

For U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, it's a reminder of a political defeat.

Family Circle sent out a release today saying that Cindy McCain's Oatmeal-Butterscotch Cookies won their quadrennial Cookie Bake-Off among the spouses of presidential candidates. McCain's cookies beat Michelle Obama's Shortbread Cookies in a vote by the magazine's readers.

The magazine goes on to say that the winner of their contest has always ended up in the White House.

And one of their examples was from 1996, when Hillary Clinton's Oatmeal Chocolate Chips beat Dole's Pecan Rolls.

(Note: There have been allegations of fraud in the Cookie Bake-Off, with some suggesting that McCain's recipe was not her own.)

John McCain will be in Concord Saturday.

The Republican presidential candidate will hold a rally at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center. Doors open at 8 a.m., and guests must be in by 10 a.m.

Tickets are available starting Wednesday at 2 p.m. at McCain campaign offices around the state. They will be distributed four-to-a-person on a first-come, first served basis.

His wife, Cindy, was in Concord last weekend for the NASCAR Bank of America 500. 

Cindy McCain will be at Lowe's Motor Speedway Saturday.

The wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain will participate in the NASCAR Bank of America 500 in Concord. She will be the "honorary race director."

This will be her third visit to the state. McCain previously attended a fundraiser in Raleigh in mid August and U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms' funeral in early July.

She has not given an interview to North Carolina media yet.

Punishment? What punishment?

Remember back in January when South Carolina bucked Republican Party rules and scooted its primary up earlier to maintain its first-in-the-South status? The hammer came down. The Palmetto State's convention delegation was cut in half.

"We understand the penalties," state GOP chair Katon Dawson said during a delegation breakfast earlier this week, Mark Johnson reports.

They also understand the payoff.  South Carolina handed U.S. Sen. John McCain an essential early victory for his march to the nomination, something it couldn't have done without moving the primary. In return, S.C. delegates have been housed in the same hotel as McCain and his staff, along with another state that provided a key early win, New Hampshire. Even McCain's home state delegation from Arizona isn't in the hotel.

South Carolina enjoys prime real estate on the convention floor near the stage, and their daily breakfasts have been peppered with A-list speakers: Cindy McCain, Rudy Giuliani and McCain campaign manager Rick Davis among others.

So, yes, it's safe to say that South Carolina Republicans learned their lesson.

Cindy McCain is in Raleigh today attending a fundraiser for her husband, Sen. John McCain.

The fundraising luncheon was at the home of Dean Painter, a Raleigh businessman who lives on Haymarket Lane, reports Rob Christensen.

The lunch cost $2,300 per person or $10,000 to be a host. The luncheon, which was closed to the press, was organized by Louis DeJoy, a Greensboro businessman, who was a key fundraiser for President George W. Bush.

This was the second trip to Raleigh this summer for Cindy McCain. She also attended the funeral of former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms.

Update: Frank Donatelli, deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee, said at a press conference this afternoon that Cindy McCain spoke about Sunday's interview with pastor Rick Warren, the invasion of Georgia and other issues.

Brooke Burr, wife of U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, also spoke, and Donatelli gave a general overview of the campaign.

Cindy McCain turned down an interview request from NBC 17, and the McCain campaign would not answer questions about the fundraiser.

"This was such a short trip," Donatelli said. "She was literally in and out."

Between 100 and 150 people attended the event. 

John McCain is hosting house parties across North Carolina tonight.

The Republican presidential candidate will host approximately 70 events around the state, including Raleigh, Asheville, Greensboro and Fayetteville.

The Charlotte event will be at the home of state Rep. Ruth Samuelson.

The parties are part of the McCain campaign's effort to sign up voters and organize volunteers. Those in attendance at the "McCain Nation" events will also get a chance to hear Cindy McCain speak on a conference call.  

Jesse Helms' funeral has brought an interesting crowd together.

Along with former Republican gubernatorial candidate Fred Smith and House Minority Leader Paul Stam, Dome has also spotted Democratic state Sen. Janet Cowell of Wake County.

N&O photographer Chris Seward also spotted Cindy McCain, wife of the Republican presidential candidate, heading inside not too long ago. U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, a Delaware Democrat, is also in attendance.

And we spoke with Vien Siu, immigration director of the Montagnard Human Rights Organization, a group that represents the indigenous people of the Central Highlands region of Vietnam.

"He helped us a lot regarding human rights in Vietnam," said Siu, who lives in Raleigh. "He was one of the very best senators."