Former Republican presidential candidate John McCain -- always popular among fellow veterans -- turned up in Tallahassee at a packed American Legion Post Wednesday, campaigning for Mitt Romney.

Winning Florida is vital for Romney, said McCain. The Republican U.S. senator from Arizona challenged the veterans in the room to spend a half hour a day over the next month calling people and working to support Romney’s campaign.

Jobs -- that's the No. 1 issue in this campaign, he said, but there are other serious issues. President Barack Obama and his administration should be taken to task for either his willful ignorance or deliberate deceit in the case of the embassy attack in Libya. There were definite warning signs, McCain said.

Vets received the 2008 presidential candidate warmly and enthusiastically. 

See for yourself. Look at McCain's entire Tallahassee speech on Dave Heller's video here. 


At the end of the speech, notice the odd moment when a man claiming to be a veteran climbed onto the stage, approached a momentarily alarmed McCain, then bear-hugged and saluted him.

Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.