Media is a tiny borough in terms of size and population. But as the county seat of a crucial suburban county in a battleground state, it appears much larger on the electoral map than it is.
"The election may well be decided in Pennsylvania, and Pennsylvania may well be decided by what happens in Delaware County," Specter said, with McCain's "Reform, Prosperity and Peace" banners hanging between the courthouse's concrete columns.
McCain spoke last, but, at times, it seemed as if Palin was the headliner. When state Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi said her name, it prompted a noticeably louder roar from the pompom-waving crowd than when he mentioned McCain. And that was before Palin even arrived.
McCain focused on economic issues, criticizing Illinois Sen. Barack Obama for what he called a failure to step up to the plate during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.
"In a time of crisis, leadership is needed, and Sen. Obama has been MIA - that means 'missing in action,' " said McCain, who was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.
McCain also blasted Obama's running mate, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, for calling it "patriotic" for wealthy Americans to pay higher taxes. He said that raising taxes in tough economic times "isn't patriotic, it's not a badge of honor, it's just plain dumb. I'm not going to raise your taxes. I don't care who you are."
McCain repeated his pledge to end pork-barrel spending in Washington and expose the sponsors of frivolous earmarks, while Palin proposed making federal spending more transparent by allowing taxpayers to access spending reports, similar to a program she implemented in Alaska.
Palin praised McCain for backing the troop surge, which she said has "brought victory in Iraq just within sight," and reiterated her support for offshore drilling: "We're going to drill now to make this nation energy-independent."
