$1,000 TAB FOR LUNCH WITH GOP CANDIDATE

Lakewood Visit For Sen. Mccain

John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, spoke at
a campaign fundraiser here Thursday, quickly entering the catering
hall through a rear service door heavily guarded by police, then
exiting there an hour later.

The senator, who has dubbed his campaign "The Straight Talk Express,"
did not make a public statement, and the lunch at Lake Terrace wasn't
promoted in advance and was closed to the media.

Inside, his supporters enjoyed a $1,000-per-plate lunch while they
listened to the Arizona senator's remarks about the upcoming election.

"He hit all the points that are normal in a campaign. . . . Iraq,
health care and taxes," Eugene Wright said afterward. "Most
politicians say what they want you to hear - he told us the good and
the bad."

Wright, 77, of Manchester, said he attended because McCain is his
"idol."

"I understand where he's coming from," Wright said.

Others were impressed with McCain's spunk.

"He has a tremendous amount of energy," Union Beach Councilman Charles
Cocuzza said after the lunch. "You hear stories that he's old, or he
may not know what he's doing; then he gets here, and he seems to have
a lot of energy. He's very serious and very focused, which is good."

Both Wright and Cocuzza were happy to hear that McCain understood that
some decisions he would make as president would not be popular with
everyone.

"One quote he used was: "You might not always agree with my decisions,
but I promise I will do what's in the best interest for the country
overall,' " Cocuzza said, "Which, you know, was very nice to hear
because he recognizes that not all his decisions are going to be
right. At least he's not going to be stubborn about it."

Annmarie Howley, 50, of Freehold liked McCain's position on the war on
terror.

"He made it clear that he would not sit at a table and negotiate with
terrorists," Howley said.

A range of protesters

Outside, two small groups of protesters jeered one car after another
as they pulled into the Oak Street banquet hall's parking lot.

"Medical marijuana is not a joke!" was Jim Miller's and Michael
Kessler's cry. They brought the wheelchair used by Miller's late wife,
who died from complications of multiple sclerosis in 2003. It was the
same wheelchair Miller once pushed from Toms River to Trenton.

Miller, of Toms River, is a former Libertarian state Senate candidate.
He ran primarily on a medical marijuana platform.

"We don't need a Bush III!" was the cry from the Monmouth and Ocean
Counties Central Labor Council. "It's time to fix the economy!"

"We're here because John McCain, probably a nice man, but he's a clone
of Bush II and that's why we're saying we don't need a Bush III," said
Steve Hornik, president emeritus of the labor council. "We need the
economy straightened out."

The protesters were joined by three Republican candidates who want
McCain to tone down his campaign rhetoric on war with Iran.

They are Murray Sabrin, who is seeking a U.S. Senate nomination in the
June primary election; Donna Ward, who is seeking the nomination to
run in the 2nd Congressional District; and Darren Young, hoping to get
the party's nod to run for Congress in the 7th District.

"We're here to ask Sen. McCain to stop talking about war," Sabrin
said. "What we're concerned about is, if Sen. McCain continues to talk
about war with Iran, it will drag down the whole ticket in November."