By Denise Ross

GOP prez candidate John McCain enjoyed the loud accolades of Harley riders last week during the Sturgis motorcycle rally. Today, he’s probably not enjoying an ad the Dem candidate Barack Obama’s campaign is running against him in Milwaukee. (Listen here.)

Milwaukee is home to Harley-Davidson HQ, and folks there might be interested in McCain’s opposition to requiring the feds to buy American-made motorcycles, reports the local paper’s political blog.

McCain has been a critic of provisions that require the US government to buy American products, saying they are costly to taxpayers and antithetical to free trade.

AND …

“I firmly object to all ‘Buy America’ restrictions, as they represent gross examples of protectionist trade policy,” McCain said on the Senate floor in 2005. “From a philosophical point of view, I oppose such policies because free trade is an important element in improving relations among all nations, which then improves the security of our nation. Furthermore, as a fiscal conservative, I want to ensure our government gets the best deal for taxpayers and with a ‘Buy American’ restriction, that cannot be guaranteed.”

There was a specific provision at issue in 2005 involving the Secret Service’s motorcycle purchases, according to the blog.  

It also reports that the ad is now running only on Milwaukee area radio stations and that McCain is scheduled for a Tuesday campaign stop in York, Penn., home to H-D’s largest factory. Hmmm. Do you suppose that ad might turn up there soon?

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