McCain attacks, likes to work with Democrats

OSHKOSH, Wis. -- Looking for his bearings in the liminal space between the primary and general elections, John McCain found a new tack today: a partisan attack on Democrats for being insufficiently bipartisan.

McCain began his town-hall meeting at an aviation museum here by recounting a move yesterday by House Democrats to adjourn without renewing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a gesture that triggered a walkout yesterday by Republicans from the chamber and tough talk from President George W. Bush.

McCain first rallied his Republican primary electorate. “The Democrats decided they would leave town without passing renewing the bill. My friends, that is wrong,” McCain said, repeating “that is wrong” yet three times more, earning a crescendo of boos as a reward for his emphasis. “They should come back to town and reconvene and pass that legislation.”

Then, he pivoted quickly towards affirming his general-election bona fides as an independent-minded legislator. “I’ll reach across the aisle to work with Democrats to defeat this evil we’re facing,” McCain said. “But you have every right to expect them to reach across the aisle to me to work together for the good of the country.”