McCain Visits Dartmouth

This report from the New Hampshire College Republicans:

Senator John McCain held a town hall yesterday at Dartmouth, packing Alumni Hall at the Hopkins Center. It was standing room only with people filling in every available space. My estimate would peg attendance around 450.

McCain was greeted with thunderous applause after being introduced by Rep. Jeff Flake. The Senator was completely at ease on the stage. He first provided a concise look at a few of his positions, including on global warming and the Iraq War. During the Q&A portion, he started by gallantly addressing an emotional question concerning medicinal marijuana. His responses on issues from nuclear power to education to foreign policy showed a complete grasp of the issues.

After the program, Senator McCain stuck around to shake hands, answer questions, and pose for pictures. He came across as incredibly experienced and entirely genuine, impressing in particular when he jumped off the stage on several occasions to hand a questioner the mic.

I also had the opportunity to ride down with Senator McCain from his town hall in North Haverhill, spending about an hour sitting next to him. I'll be writing up a story on the Senator for The Dartmouth Review and will post that link when it's up. In the meantime, here are a few tidbits: McCain's musical preferences include the Beatles and Elvis Presley, his favorite film is 1952's Viva Zapata! (directed by Elia Kazan), and he would pick Abraham Lincoln if he could have dinner with a historical figure.Also, I highly recommend Senator McCain's book Faith of My Fathers. It's a must-read, and you can get it autographed next time the Senator is in New Hampshire.

The original post can be found at: http://nhcrs.blogspot.com/2007/11/mccain-packs-alumni-hall.html