Conservative Pulse

As the Florida primary campaign drew to a close, Senator John McCain began his final day of campaigning in Jacksonville.

First, McCain toured toured the grounds of Atlantic Marine, which builds Navy ships and commercial vessels. Then he held a forum with national security experts including former CIA director Jim Woolsey, former Veterans Affairs secretary Tony Principi, Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Richard Burr, Governor Keating of Oklahoma, and John Lehman, the former secretary of the Navy. State Representative and McCain supporter Stan Jordan was also present at the event.

The assembled panel…

The national press corps, as well as local reporters, were out in force to cover the event at Atlantic Marine…

McCain, when asked to respond to reports that Mitt Romney had called him a liberal, answered: “The truth is, Mitt Romney was a liberal governor of Massachusetts who raised taxes, imposed with Ted Kennedy a big government mandate health care plan that is now a quarter of a billion dollars in the red, and managed his state’s economy incompetently, leaving Massachusetts with less job growth than 46 other states.”

Following that event, McCain and staff traveled to Jacksonville International Airport for a quick rally where he met with, and receieved the endorsement of, former Jacksonville Mayor Hans Tanzler.

Then, he boarded his plane to hit several other major cities in a whirlwind tour of the state.

Cindy McCain arrives at the airport…

Senator McCain greets the media and former mayor Hans Tanzler before speaking to supporters at the airport…