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By Bill O'Boyle boboyle@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer
Bill O'Boyle on Facebook   |   @TLBillOboyle on Twitter

WILKES-BARRE – Cindy McCain liked seeing those “Democrats for McCain” signs scattered through the Wilkes University gymnasium Saturday.

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Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, speaks to supporters at Wilkes University’s Marts Center on Saturday afternoon.

S. John Wilkin/The Times Leader

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Cindy McCain is greeted by supporters at Wilkes University’s Marts Center on Saturday afternoon during a rally in support of her husband’s bid for the White House.

S. John Wilkin/The Times Leader

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“It makes us feel good,” McCain said. “It tells us that people are paying attention to the presidential campaign and they are starting to see the clear differences between the candidates.”

McCain, the 52- year-old wife of Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, sat down for a one-on-one interview with The Times Leader after she addressed around 350 supporters in the Marts Center on the Wilkes campus. She was joined by Brooke Burr, wife of Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, and Mary Pawlenty, wife of Republican Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

“My husband and Gov. Sarah Palin will take this country forward,” she said. “They are the only team that can and will make our country strong again.”

McCain’s visit comes four days after Palin, McCain’s vice presidential candidate, drew more than 6,000 people for a rally in Scranton. Palin was scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” Saturday and McCain said she would be watching the show in Harrisburg.

“She truly has brought spirit to this race,” McCain said. “She is so vibrant and the perfect choice to be my husband’s running mate.”

McCain said her husband has never been afraid to take a tough stand, even if it meant opposing his party and his president.

“We’re the underdog in this race right now,” she said. “But our message is a message of hope and appeals to Republicans and Democrats who are tired of the corruption in Washington. They are tired of the wasteful earmark spending; they want good, fiscally sound government.”

State Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, introduced the trio of Republican wives. She told the crowd that 17 days remain until the general election and she urged all to exercise their right to vote – and to vote Republican.

“We need all of you to do all you can to support this great ticket,” Baker said.

The young men’s choir from St. Gregory’s Academy sang the national anthem and representatives of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Competing with the Penn State football game that began at 4:30 p.m., McCain took the podium promptly at 5 with banners waving and people screaming. Chants of “Women for McCain” and “Men for Palin” were heard over Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” and signs reading “Pennsylvania – Turn it Red” and “Annoy the Media – Elect McCain-Palin” rose from the crowd.

“Pennsylvania is extremely important in this election,” McCain said. “It’s more than a swing state; it’s a leader for our country.”

McCain asked veterans in attendance to raise their hands and be acknowledged. She said the McCain and Palin families have three sons on active duty, representing the Army, Navy and Marine Corps.

“John McCain supported the surge and took on President Bush by advocating more boots on the ground,” she said. “My husband has served his country since he was 17 years old. He will always keep his country first.”

McCain, wearing a dark green blazer and Kelly green turtleneck, said her husband has everything needed to be a great president: experience, leadership and character.

“He won’t always say what you want to hear,” she said. “He will say what you need to hear.”

She talked about McCain’s time as a prisoner of war and how that experience convinced him to dedicate his life to his country.

“He has been tested in the darkest of places during the darkest of times,” she said.

McCain said her husband will bring real reform to Washington and assure peace and prosperity for the country.

“He will stop the spending of your money on things we don’t need,” she said.

McCain said our troops will return home in honor and in victory. She talked about Joe the Plumber, who she said represents “all of us – the guy at the gas station, the electrician up the street and the truck driver on the highway.”

McCain said her husband can create jobs, stimulate the economy, explore energy alternatives like clean coal, and keep the country safe and strong.

“In these difficult times, we need a fighter like John McCain,” she said. “He knows what fear feels like; how it robs us of our strength. This is not a time to have someone in the White House who doesn’t have the experience necessary to do the job.”