Republican presidential candidate John McCain hopes to enhance his appeal to blue-collar voters and those in the Northern Plains by visiting the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota.
McCain, who attended the rally's tribute to veterans on Monday night, was greeted in Rapid City by Sen. John Thune, who has been mentioned as a possible running mate.
Earlier in the day, he called on Congress to return from its summer recess to deal with the nation's energy crisis. And he urged his Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, to join him in that call.
On Friday, the House and Senate, both controlled by the Democrats, adjourned for five weeks without taking up energy legislation.
"Congress should come back into session, and I'm willing to come off the campaign trail," McCain said at the Lafayette Hill, Pa., headquarters of the National Label Co.
The visit to National Label was McCain's only stop during a stay in the Philadelphia area that lasted about four hours. He toured the facility, which makes labels for pharmaceuticals and other consumer products, and held a closed, half-hour roundtable with business executives.
With about 100 of the plant's workers standing behind him, McCain said that the way to address the nation's energy needs is through an "all-of-the-above approach" of utilizing nuclear power, clean coal technology and additional off-shore oil drilling.
After criticizing Obama's energy policy, McCain added: "We're not going to achieve energy independence by inflating our tires."
