McCain touts nuclear energy, offshore oil drilling at town hall in Pennsylvania

By David Lightman - dlightman@mcclatchydc.com Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, July 24, 2008 Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A6 Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain greets supporters at a campaign headquarters in Bethlehem, Pa., Wednesday. WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – John McCain got warm applause Wednesday in this politically important blue-collar city when he pledged to build more nuclear power plants and support offshore oil drilling – but his town hall meeting was only half-full. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, also took aim at Democratic rival Barack Obama, who's traveling in the Middle East. He said Obama's insistence on setting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq and his opposition to last year's increase of American troops... [read full story]