Aug. 26 (Bloomberg) -- John McCain used an appearance yesterday on NBC's Tonight Show to defend his wife's wealth, and bristled when host Jay Leno asked how many houses he owned.

``Could I just mention to you, Jay, that, in a moment of seriousness, I spent five and a half years in a prison cell,'' McCain said, referring to his detention as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. ``I didn't have a house. I didn't have a kitchen table. I didn't have a table. I didn't have a chair.''

The Leno appearance, taped in Burbank, California, for broadcast last night at the same time as the opening of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, came as Democrats are painting Republican McCain as out of touch with ordinary voters.

McCain's properties have been the subject of criticism since Aug. 21, when the candidate was unable to tell a reporter how many homes he owned. The campaign says he and his wife, Cindy, have four homes plus unspecified other properties owned by her family-controlled trust. Democratic opponent Barack Obama said last week that McCain has seven homes.

The Arizona senator said he is ``very proud'' of his late father-in-law, Jim Hensley, who founded Hensley & Co. in 1955 and built it into the nation's third-largest Anheuser-Busch wholesaler.

McCain, 71, also had a good-natured jab for his longtime Senate colleague Joseph Biden, who will accept the Democratic Party's nomination for vice president Aug. 27. Leno said Biden, 65, had suggested in 2004 that Democratic candidate John Kerry pick McCain as his running mate.

Reminder for Biden

Biden ``said that I could run on either party and be great for America,'' McCain said. ``I will keep reminding him of that.''

McCain said Obama's choice of a running mate wouldn't affect his own decision, which he will make before the Republican convention kicks off Sept. 1 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

``You've got to find somebody who you know shares your principles, your values, and your priorities,'' McCain said.

McCain called Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, who has been mentioned as a possible running mate, ``a great young man.''

In a debate with Biden, Leno said, Pawlenty, 47, ``might get eaten alive,'' given Biden's decades of Senate experience.

``The problem for any of them might be getting a word in edgewise,'' McCain said, ribbing the notoriously long-winded Biden.

He called Biden ``a fine man and a good friend'' and the third-most liberal member of the Senate.

McCain's Tonight Show appearance capped a day of mingling with celebrities for the Republican candidate.

Daddy Yankee

Pop music star Daddy Yankee made a surprise appearance on McCain's behalf at Central High School in Phoenix during a morning school assembly.

``I believe in his ideals and his proposals for this great nation,'' said Yankee, best known for his hit song ``Gasolina.''

At lunch in Sacramento, California, actress Patricia Heaton of ``Everybody Loves Raymond'' introduced the senator at a fundraiser that was attended by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Cindy McCain, who was scheduled to attend today's events, was traveling overseas, in Georgia.

``I was a little disappointed in not being able to introduce Cindy, as was originally planned, as she is a beer heiress and I'm Irish Catholic,'' Heaton told the audience of about 400 people. ``I have a vested interest in seeing her become first lady so I get invited to those White House keg parties.''

An evening fundraiser in Beverly Hills, California, was attended by actors Jon Voight, Angie Harmon, Gary Sinise, Craig T. Nelson and Lorenzo Lamas.

To contact the reporter on this story: Lorraine Woellert in Washington at lwoellert@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 26, 2008 11:51 EDT