TAMPA, Fla. - In her 2008 campaign tome, "Dirty Sexy Politics," Meghan McCain wrote about the mess that was her experience at the 2008 Republican National Convention, especially in the beauty department.

"I entered the makeup room and looked around. But all the chairs were taken. The stylists were busy with the Palin kids, as well as Levi," she recalled. "There was only one thing left to do: Go back to my room and do my hair and makeup myself," she wrote, having been told by the makeup artist that there wasn't time for her, as the Palins would be getting more airtime.

Cut to 2012, and a much more mature, properly made-up Meghan McCain walked the red carpet at the Glazer Museum Wednesday night, shortly after her father left the convention floor. McCain was the host of a party held with Lifetime and Got Your Six, a military charity. She arrived wearing a black dress, her trademark sky high heels with a sky-high bun to match.

"The pressure is none this time and I luckily have MSNBC people helping me with my hair and makeup, so it's a lot easier," McCain said. Her mother, Cindy, who arrived shortly thereafter with Sen. John McCain in tow, shared the sentiment. "It's fun," she told Yeas & Nays, saying she hadn't been nervous to see her husband speak this time around. "I did in '08, but not now."

Meghan McCain said it wasn't a very hard sell to get her mom to come to her party. "I'm hosting the party and she wanted to come," McCain said. "She does like to drink beer, she likes Bud Light...Platinum...the blue one with more alcohol content with the silver on the outside," she continued. "I like Bud Light Lime, I'm like that, because I'm from Phoenix," she said.

And who would she want to drink one with? "Chris Christie because I love him...literally I talk about him all the time because I wanted him to be the vice presidential choice even though I think Paul Ryan is a lot more logical and better," she gushed, adding that she's never met the New Jersey Governor. "And he's probably like, 'Stop talking about me, Meghan McCain, you're freaking me out.'"