MCcain keeps up drilling pressure

John McCain visited the Chevron Genesis oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday to call for increased offshore drilling that he says would lower the cost of food and heating homes.

He traveled 130 miles by helicopter to tour the facility, which produces 10,000 gallons of oil each day. He criticized Barack Obama for not supporting such a plan, saying "He's wrong and the American people know it."

McCain and his aides believe the pocketbook approach can connect with voters -- and, in turn, suggest that Obama wants people to pay more for gas, food and heating. "Americans across our country are hurting, as we all know, because of the cost of energy," McCain said aboard the rig. "... And that means we need to start drilling offshore, at advanced oil rigs like this one."

Obama's campaign called the four-hour excursion a stunt.

Democrat Barack Obama used his appearance at a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention to attack McCain's critique of him to the group a day earlier -- but got a cooler reception than did the Vietnam veteran running against him for president.

Obama denied McCain's assertions that he was for failure in Iraq or in any way basing his foreign policy on a strategy to win the presidency. He said he wouldn't attack McCain's pro-war motives because "I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America's national interest" and that "now, it's time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same. I will let no one question my love of this country."

But McCain was the clear favorite among the predominately older, white male crowd in Orlando, Fla., and there was little indication that Obama's speech changed minds.