Graham: McCain is the most qualified

HARRISONBURG — Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, came to the Shenandoah Valley on Tuesday to rally Republicans and assure a strong showing for his friend, Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, in a critical part of what has become a battleground state.

“Virginia being in play does not seem quite right,’’ Graham told McCain backers at a jam- packed Harrisonburg-Rockingham GOP headquarters.

A Democratic presidential candidate has not won Virginia since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. The latest Rasmussen Reports poll has Democratic nominee Barack Obama leading McCain 54 percent to 44 percent.

Graham was joined at Tuesday’s rally by 6th District Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke; retiring Sen. John Warner and state Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg.

“Obama is incredibly liberal,’’ Graham said.

Now is not the time to increase taxes and the size of the federal government, he said.

Graham, who stood by McCain when it appeared his candidacy had failed, said his friend would be the most “qualified commander-in-chief since Dwight Eisenhower.”

Referring to Obama’s positions on the issues, Graham said “now is not the time to get in the left ditch of politics.”

Warner said he first became aware of McCain more than three decades ago, when the Arizona senator was a prisoner of war in Vietnam and Warner was secretary of the Navy.

“He has a commitment to protect America’s freedom. And without freedom, we have nothing,’’ Warner said.

McCain is ready to walk into the White House and lead the country, Warner said.

The retiring senator said he thought McCain had acted boldly when he shut down his campaign several weeks ago and returned to Washington to work on the federal bailout bill.

“McCain showed leadership. I was in meetings with him and he gave constructive ideas on the bailout bill,’’ Warner said.

Reviving the economy will require reining in spending, Warner said.

That got out of hand after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when “we built up the armed forces,” Warner said.

In one of his last political appearances, the 81-year-old Warner waxed nostalgic about the Shenandoah Valley, recalling fishing trips on the Shenandoah River with a relative, and drives down U.S. 11.

He also spoke warmly of Goodlatte, calling him “my young friend,’’ and saying “he did all I taught him and got elected to the House of Representatives.”

Graham joked about Warner’s retirement when he got up to speak, saying he had replaced 100-year-old Strom Thurmond as one of South Carolina’s senators.

“Sen. Warner is in a midlife crisis,’’ Graham joked. “I replaced Strom Thurmond. He [Warner] has three more terms left.”