McCain hammers Obama tax policy

BENSALEM, Pa., Oct. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain, campaigning Tuesday in Bensalem, Pa., pounded on rival Barack Obama's tax policies.

McCain took his Democratic opponent to task for voicing support for the Tampa Bay Rays during a Florida campaign appearance Monday and earlier expressing support for the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.

"Now, I'm not dumb enough to get mixed up in a World Series between swing states, but I think I may have detected a little pattern with Senator Obama. It's pretty simple really. When he's campaigning in Philadelphia, he roots for the Phillies and when he's campaigning in Tampa Bay, he shows love to the Rays. It's kind of like the way he campaigns on tax cuts but then votes for tax increases after he's elected," McCain said.

McCain hammered at Obama's remark that he wanted to "spread the wealth."

"The Obama tax increase would come at the worst possible time for America, … The small businesses Senator Obama would tax provide 16 million jobs in America. And a sudden tax hike for those businesses will kill jobs at a time when we need to be creating more jobs. I'm not going to let that happen," McCain pledged.

McCain said he doesn't trust Obama would have the right response in a crisis.

"We cannot spend the next four years as we have spent much of the last eight: hoping for our luck to change at home and abroad. We have to act. We need a new direction and we have to fight for it," McCain said.