Today Senator McCain stopped by a General Motors plant in Michigan where he spoke to a crowd in a town hall style meeting.

Standing in a town hall meeting with hundreds of people and several shiny new cars, McCain sounded at times like a confident, encouraging salesman as he praised General Motors' plans for a long-range electric car.

"The key, integral, vital part of our ability to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil will be directly related to that sign over there," said McCain, pointing to a sign for the Chevrolet Volt. "I wish you every success, and I want to help in every way."

At the General Motors Corp. Design Center, GM CEO Rick Wagoner and other company officials gave McCain a tour before he spoke to engineers and other workers. McCain, who has proposed giving a $5,000 tax credit for those who buy a no-emissions car, said the successful technology would mean hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

Most questions from the crowd centered on economic issues like health care, free trade and the effect environmental laws could have on the U.S. auto industry.

McCain also pushed a plan for the government to help homeowners struggling to make their mortgage payments get a new, cheaper fixed-rate mortgage.

"There's thousands and thousands and thousands of citizens in this state who can't afford the payments to stay in their homes," he said.