From Foxnews
August 4th, 2008 11:13 PM Eastern
McCain rallies bikers at Sturgis
by Mosheh Oinounou
STURGIS, SD — An extremely enthusiastic Sen. McCain stressed energy independence during brief remarks before more than 20,000 bikers Monday night at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
“This is my first time here but I recognize that sound. It’s the sound of freedom and thank you for it,” McCain said as hundreds of bikers revved their engines at a Salute to Veterans rally on the Buffalo Chip campgrounds. “I thank you all very much for that unique Sturgis welcome.”
A week-long event, which is celebrating its 68th anniversary, Sturgis attracts more than 500,000 bikers from around the world nearly doubling the population of South Dakota.
The McCain campaign sees a political opportunity out of Obama’s Berlin speech–to paint him as an out-of-touch celebrity–and today was no different.
“As you may know, not long ago a couple hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I will take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day, any day my friends,” McCain exclaimed to roars from the crowd.
He continued to hammer home his energy message and again attacked Obama for his tire inflation recommendation.
“We’re not going to pay $4 dollars a gallon for gas (when I am president) because we are going to drill offshore and we are going to drill now. We are doing to drill here and we are going to drill now,” he said. “My opponent doesn’t want to drill, he doesn’t want nuclear power. He wants to inflate your tires.”
It should be noted though that a few close McCain allies including Govs. Charlie Crist and Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as the U.S. Department of Energy all recommend that Americans properly inflate their tires as a cost saving measure but Republicans see an opportunity mock Obama for the remark and are taking advantage.
“Is there anyone that is tired of paying…four dollars a gallon for gasoline. Is there anyone that is sick and tired of it? Is there anyone that wants to become energy independent?” McCain said. “Well I am telling you right now we are sending 700 billion dollars (abroad) and your Congress just went on vacation for five weeks. Tell them to come back and get to work.”
McCain was joined on stage by his daughter Meghan and wife Cindy, who introduced her husband as the “only man that can keep us free.”
McCain also joked that he urged Cindy to participate in a campground beauty pageant that was taking place during his speech.
“I was looking at the Sturgis schedule and noticed that you have a beauty pageant and so I encouraged Cindy to compete. I told her, with a little luck, she could be the only woman ever to serve as both the First Lady and Miss Buffalo Chip,” he said to cheers.
He closed by calling on the bikers to ride to the polls in less than 100 days.
“I know it will be a good sign on election day if there are a lot of bikes parked outside the polling places of America. So don’t let November Fourth find you on the open road, I’m counting on you to show up and I’m asking for your vote,” McCain added.
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