McCain links economy and national security

[October 29, 2008]  MIAMI (AP) -- Republican John McCain, scrambling after one of the biggest battlegrounds of the presidential election, is touting his history on national security and trying to link the issue of the country's safety to the financial meltdown.

In Florida for a day of campaigning, McCain is meeting privately Wednesday with former top military officers who advise him on national security. He was expected to issue a statement afterward outlining his views on security threats to the nation.

Aides said his argument is that he is better prepared than Democrat Barack Obama to lead the U.S. in a troubled world because of his military background. The Arizona senator is a former Navy pilot who was shot down during the Vietnam War and held prisoner for more than five years.

But McCain also is arguing that his tightfisted approach to the economy -- he promises to cut taxes and reduce government spending -- is more likely to help the nation recover from the turmoil that has frozen credit markets. He tells voters Obama will raise their taxes.

"Raising taxes makes a bad economy worse," McCain said Tuesday, previewing his theme.

Florida voted Republican in the last two presidential elections, and McCain was campaigning Wednesday in Miami, Tampa and Palm Beach. Recent polls give Obama the edge in the state and both candidates are competing hard for its 27 electoral votes, one of the biggest blocs.

It takes 270 electoral votes to win the White House.

Obama also was touching down in Florida on Wednesday for events in Sunrise and in Kissimmee, where he has scheduled his first campaign appearance with former President Clinton.

Campaign strategists said linking the issues of economic and national security would resonate with voters who worry about the direction the country is headed. McCain says so, too.

"The next president won't have time to get used to the office," he argues. "I've been tested. Sen. Obama hasn't."

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On the Net:

McCain: http://www.johnmccain.com/

Obama: http://www.barackobama.com/

[Associated Press; By MIKE GLOVER]

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