McCain On The Offensive In Obama's Backyard

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Sep 9, 2008 3:35PM

Arizona Senator John "Maverick" McCain made a rare Illinois stop-over last night, appearing before hundreds of supporters at a fundraiser at the Chicago Hilton & Towers. It was his first stop in Chicago since June, when he raised $2.5 million. This fundraiser was expected to rake in more than $4 million for McCain. And The Maverick came out swinging, accusing Obama of asking for $932 million in pork barrel projects in his first Senate term.

That averages out to about $1 million a day that he's been in the United States Senate. So, who's going to be the team of change, Obama and Biden or McCain and Palin? I think we know the difference.

McCain running mate Gov. Sarah Palin was, in spite of her own Pork Past, the hot topic of the night as McCain sang her praises, spending much of his 16-minute speech focusing on her and the "c" word: "change."

She's a remarkable person ... I'm very pleased Sarah is on the ticket. The America people want change in Washington, and they want the right kind of change. They are glad that someone like Gov. Sarah Palin has taken on her party and the special interests in Alaska. I have stood up against my party when I had to. And Sen. Obama has never once stood up to his party. You know that very well in the state of Illinois.

McCain also brought the funny, addressing his recent surge in the polls by saying, "Now we're up in the polls, 5 points up in Gallup. So those polls are always exactly right...Always exactly right, right on the mark, totally accurate. It's funny how life is with polls." Oh, John, you card! [Trib, S-T]

Photo by 1Flatworld