A homecoming for McCain

EXETER, N.H. -- Welcome back, John.

New Hampshire gave John McCain his shot at the Republican nomination, and McCain today returned to the state to give thanks

"Please stop before I get a little emotional," McCain said in trying to quiet the sustained applause that greeted him on stage at the Exeter Town Hall.

Fittingly, the homecoming event was a town hall meeting, McCain's favorite setting to engage voters. Joined by Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, McCain gave a brief introductory speech before opening it up for questions.

"This guy may claim he is from Arizona, but he loves these town meetings like he's a New Englander!" Lieberman beamed.

McCain took pains to thank his former rivals for the GOP nomination and expressed confidence about the general election. "We're reuniting our party, and we've got to reenergize our party," he said.

Not everyone was happy to see McCain, though. Protesters from the AFL-CIO, which announced an anti-McCain effort today, gathered in front of the Exeter Town Hall and tried to cast a McCain presidency as a third term for President Bush.