McCain launches tour of US states

April 23, 2008 John McCain, the leading Republican presidential candidate, today launched a campaign tour across parts of the United States. One of the first places he visited was Arlington County, Virginia, where he made a speech on a variety of issues. "I've been left recently in the unfamiliar position of facing no opposition within my own party," said McCain at the beginning of the speech. " As you might recall, it was a different story last year, when I could claim the unqualified support of Cindy and my mother -- and Mom was starting to keep her options open," he continued. "As I recall, a few pollsters even declared my campaign a hopeless cause, and there was no margin of error to soften the blow."

McCain also visited Edmund Pettus Bridge, which is located in Selma, Alabama. "I've seen courage in action on many occasions in my life, but none any greater or used for any better purpose than the courage shown by John Lewis and the good people who marched for justice with him," he said there. John Lewis is a Democrat who is also known as a civil rights activist.

In Virginia, McCain also said that "the struggles of this community and others like it matter when we talk about our nation's economy -- they are not just a problem, they're a priority."

McCain also criticized Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. "Raising taxes on businesses in Ohio and elsewhere, as both my opponents propose to do, will not bring the old jobs back, and it sure won't create new ones, " he said.