McCain seeks to revive campaign, reassure supporters

By Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. presidential nominee John McCain, scrambling to overcome Barack Obama's lead in the polls, will assure supporters on Monday he will bounce back even though his Democratic rival is already "measuring the drapes" at the White House.

"My friends, we've got them just where we want them," McCain will tell a rally in Virginia, according to advance excerpts obtained by Reuters, as he tries to re-energize his faltering campaign in the final stretch to the November 4 election.

With the clock ticking down on his chance to narrow Obama's advantage, McCain will unveil a new stump speech that a campaign source said would mark a "more forceful tone" by the Arizona senator in his quest for the presidency.

McCain's new rhetoric comes amid a growing sense of urgency in his campaign as he and top advisers consider new economic proposals that the campaign source said could be rolled out later this week to address a deepening financial crisis.

McCain has been hurt by the perception of many voters that Obama would be better at handling the global economic upheaval, a view so widely held that some fellow Republicans are increasingly concerned about his ability to mount a comeback.

A new Washington Post-ABC News opinion poll released on Monday showed Obama leading McCain 53 percent to 43 percent among likely voters. A Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll on Sunday had Obama with a 6-point lead.

Seeking to counter criticism of a campaign adrift and unfocused, McCain will try to rally supporters by mocking Obama as overconfident and insisting he has beaten the odds before.

"We have 22 days to go. We're six points down. The national media has written us off. Senator Obama is measuring the drapes, and planning with Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi and Senator (Harry) Reid to raise taxes, increase spending, take away your right to vote by secret ballot in labour elections, and concede defeat in Iraq," McCain will say.  Continued...