Biden criticizes McCain's attacks
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ROCHESTER, N.H. - Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden said yesterday that Republican John McCain is falsely attacking Barack Obama to distract voters from the economy while lurching from one bad idea to another.
"Every single false charge, every single baseless accusation is a simple attempt to get you to focus on something other than what's affecting your families and your country," Biden told about 500 people at an American Legion hall.
"I guess when you vote with the president 100 percent of the time, you can only attack 100 percent of the time," he added.
Asked on ABC's "Nightline" last night about angry shouts about Obama emerging from McCain's audiences recently, Biden replied, "John seems to have figured it out. He looks like he's trying to tamp it down."
Friday in Minnesota, McCain did caution his supporters, including one who said he was scared of Obama. But that doesn't mean he's going to apologize for their vociferousness.
Asked on CNN about those shouting the word terrorist and worse, McCain said yesterday they are part of a "fringe element" and said there's similar name-calling of him at Obama rallies.
More than 99 percent of people at his events are "good and decent and patriotic Americans," McCain said.
"I'm proud of my supporters," he said, saying that criticism of them as an unruly mob is "unacceptable and insulting."
"I won't stand for it."
ASSOCIATED PRESS AND GLOBE STAFF
A crowd of at least 20,000 spread across the parking lot of Richmond International Raceway, and scores of people on the outer periphery more than 100 yards from the stage could not hear.
"Louder! Louder!" they began chanting, and the cry spread across the crowd to Palin's left.
Palin stopped her remarks briefly and looked toward the commotion.
"I hope those protesters have the courage and honor to give veterans thanks for their right to protest," she said.
Some in the crowd tried to shout toward her what was really being said, but she couldn't hear them.
Palin has scheduled three New Hampshire stops - Dover, Laconia, and Salem - tomorrow. She is also set to appear at an airport rally Thursday morning in Bangor, Maine.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
"Senators Barack Obama and Joseph Biden know that we make it too easy for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons in this country," Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign, said in a statement. "They know that our weak gun laws have too many loopholes, which lead to over 30,000 deaths and 70,000 injuries from guns every year."
The group is named for Jim Brady, the press secretary to former President Reagan, who was critically wounded during the attempted assassination of Reagan in 1981.
FOON RHEE
