‘Tiger’ McCain growls in Lower Bucks

Reporting by Scott Kraus

Republican Presidential nominee John McCain stormed into Pennsylvania today to the tune of “Eye of the Tiger,” leading a rally at TC Millwork, in a Bensalem, Bucks County industrial park, before more than 1,000 enthusiastic spectators.

The crowd greeted McCain with chants of U-S-A, U-S-A.

He led off his speech by ripping Democrat Barack Obama for appearing on stage in Tampa, Fla. yesterday with players from the Phillies World Series opponents, the Tampa Bay Rays, after Obama pledged two weeks ago to root for the Phils.

“When he’s campaigning in Philadelphia, he roots for the Phillies, and when he’s campaigning in Tampa Bay, he shows love to the Rays,” McCain said. “It’s kind of like the way he campaigns on tax cuts, but then votes for tax increases after he’s elected.”

The Obama campaign has said the Democrat continues to root for the Phillies and was simply showing appreciation for Rays fans among his supporters yesterday.

McCain seized on recent remarks by Obama, that his tax plan would “spread the wealth around” and by vice presidential nominee Joe Biden that a newly elected President Obama would be tested with a world crisis within six months, to raise doubt about his Democratic opponent.

“We know Senator Obama won’t have the right response,” McCain said. “We’ve seen the wrong response from him over and over in this campaign.”

It was the first of three scheduled stops in the state for McCain today. The Arizona Senator was scheduled to hit a rally in Harrisburg at midday and finish his foray into Pennsylvania with a stop in Moon Township outside Pittsburgh.

Despite a double-digit deficit in most recent public polls of Pennsylvania voters, the McCain campaign has not given up on knocking the state’s 21 electoral votes into the Republican column. The state has gone for a Democrat in the last four presidential elections.

Eighth district Republican congressional candidate Tom Manion helped warm up the crowd, which waited in chilly temperatures outside the warehouse for a hour before being let in through metal detectors.

“What we must do in these last 14 days is convince a few of our friends and neighbors who have not made a final decision and don’t understand what is at stake…tell them that character and integrity matter,” Manion said.