Free Republic

As for Mr. McCain, I think he had the best moment of the month this week at the big motorcycle convention in Sturgis, S.D., when he was greeted with that mighty roar. And his great line: "As you may know, not long ago a couple hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day." Oh, that was good. There's a thing that's out there and it's big, and latent, and somehow always taken into account and always ignored, and political professionals always assume they understand it. It has been...

At Sturgis, Harley voters crank throttles for McCain By DAVID HORSEY P-I EDITORIAL CARTOONIST Where but at a biker rally would a presidential candidate offer up his wife as a contestant in a skimpy bikini contest? If ever there were a political story for which I could claim expertise, it was this one – John McCain's visit to the Legendary Buffalo Chip Campground. Buffalo Chip is the pounding heart of the gargantuan gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts that descends on the small town of Sturgis, S.D., for 10 days each summer. The Chip is not just a place to camp; it...

Click to watch video: McCain: Sound of Freedom (50,000 Bikers)

Standing on the main stage at a world famous motorcycle rally in rural South Dakota on Monday, John McCain looked out on a sea of denim-wearing bikers and told them he enjoyed their company much more than that of the 200,000 Germans who turned out to see Barack Obama last month. “As you may know,” he told the tens of thousands gathered at the 68th annual Sturgis Rally at Buffalo Chip campground, “not long ago, a couple of hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I’ll take the roar of fifty thousand Harleys any day.”

STURGIS - Politicians are used to hearing the roar of the crowd, but Sen. John McCain heard an entirely different roar Monday night at The Buffalo Chip. Motorcycles pounded out a welcome to the Republican presidential candidate at the campground in Sturgis, as he made a campaign appearance. “This is my first time here but I enjoyed the sound,” McCain said. “It's the sound of freedom.” He noted that his Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, had received a loud ovation in Berlin during a European tour last week. “I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day,” McCain said. Thousands...

ABC News' Gregory Wallace and Sara Just Report: Sen. John McCain, R-Az., perhaps unknowingly, volunteered his wife for a beauty pageant on Monday that often features contestants topless -- and, occasionally, without any decency -- at the Sturgis, South Dakota, motorcycle rally.

To counteract John McCain's positive reception at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, Democratic candidate Barack Obama decided to attend the massive biker event earlier today. Early reports indicate that it didn't go so well. Curiously, the mainstream media has honored the Obama campaign's request to embargo all photographs of the visit. Thankfully for the American people, Exurban League has acquired the photos from a hardcore biker who was present at the events. (Thanks again, Stinky Bart!) The visit began with a flashy, Berlin-style speech. Seizing the moment, Obama gave the stirring call to action from atop Mount Rushmore. "Together we hope...

<p>STURGIS, S.D. (AP) -- Republican John McCain has gotten an approving roar from the thousands gathered at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota.</p> <p>He mentioned how Democrat Barack Obama was cheered by a large crowd recently during his speech in Berlin. McCain told the Sturgis crowd, "I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day."</p>

The Heartland supersized Sen. John McCain last night at a ginormous motorcycle rally in Sturgis, S.D. While no one shouted "Free Bird" to McCain while he was speaking -- a pop culture homage to Lynyrd Skynyrd whose 2008 version of the band is playing at the rally -- the Republican presumptive nominee did call attention to the larger than normal size of his crowd: "As you may know, not long ago, a couple hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day."

STURGIS, S.D. - Thousands of motorcyclists greeted Republican presidential candidate John McCain with an approving roar Monday as he sought blue-collar and heartland support by visiting a giant motorcycle rally. "As you may know, not long ago a couple hundred thousand Berliners made a lot of noise for my opponent. I'll take the roar of 50,000 Harleys any day," McCain said, referring to Democrat Barack Obama's recent visit to the German capital. ~snip McCain played to a crowd that paused for a veterans salute. He criticized Obama for supporting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq while opposing efforts...

(dpa) - Senator John McCain, 71, heads to the unlikely town of Sturgis, South Dakota, on Monday to rub elbows with the rowdy tattooed rebels of the American roads at a campground rock concert. With a population of 780,000, South Dakota on the Great Plains is hardly an election-day prize for either McCain's Republican Party or rival Democrats. But the state doubles in population during the annual August motorcycle rally in Sturgis, at the foot of the Black Hills, that draws an estimated 500,000 to 600,000 out-of-state "wild hogs" who roar cross country to celebrate their bike culture. McCain plans...

Sorry, all. Check out Kerry on his Harley, just for laughs.