McCain's Final N.H. Push
NASHUA, N.H. -- On the day before the New Hampshire primary, John McCain's Straight Talk Express bus took off this morning en route to seven rallies today.
McCain, who's been rising in recent New Hampshire polls, also continues to see a rise in crowd numbers and media attention.
Three buses, three SUVs, and other cars carting reporters and crews pulled up to the Nashua City Hall Plaza this morning to a sea of McCain signs and an excited crowd screaming "The Mac Is Back!" Chuck Berry's hit song "Johnny B. Goode" blared over the PA system and the McCain family stepped off the bus and slowly made their way through the crowd of cameras and excited voters to the stage.
McCain gave a short speech thanking people for coming out and asked them for their vote tomorrow. His wife Cindy stood behind him with the kids, her arm around daughter Bridget.
Like most McCain events lately, there was lots of pushing and shoving as eager Granite Staters tried to shake McCain's hand or get a picture with him. Feeling a bit overwhelmed at one point, I managed to get myself out of the cluster of chaos but my camera was still stuck in between the bodies of eager onlookers and photographers.
McCain campaign staffer Joe Donoghue tried to keep the family together as Cindy McCain kept looking back and asking if 16-year-old Bridget was still with them. In an effort to keep the McCain's from being smothered by the fired up crowd, he pleaded with one gentleman to stop pushing, "Just be reasonable, back up please, come on now," Donoghue urged.
As the McCains made their way by my camera, daughter Meghan leaned into my camera and smiled, "We're running for president right now!" she said, then laughed seeming to enjoy the excitement and madness surrounding her father's resurgent campaign.