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LIBERTY TWP. — More than 30 protesters gathered along Butler-Warren Road Thursday, Aug. 7, to greet the Republican party's presumptive nominee with shouts of "Shame, Shame, John McCain."

Arriving in his Straight Talk Express campaign bus at 6:14 p.m., U.S. Sen. John McCain attended a private fundraising event at Four Bridges Country Club in Liberty Twp.

Organized by Progress Ohio, the protest included members of Sierra

Club, Change to Win and Service Employees International Union, all displaying signs like "No More Blood for Oil," "McBush" and "Grand Oil Party."

West Chester Twp. resident Patty Thomas said she was deeply involved in local Republican politics for many years, but is "sick to death" of what she says party members have done to traditional Republican values.

"I feel that (McCain) will be a continuation of Bush policies fiscally, militarily, foreign-policy wise," she said. "Everything I hate about the way Bush has run the country for the past seven years, I fear will continue under a McCain presidency."

On another corner, Kristi Bowen of Mason held aloft a sign showing her support for the senator.

"I don't believe that you can blame all the issues on one person being the president," Bowen said. "I think the Congress has a lot of issues that they have foregone or tried to rectify."

Brent Arter of West Chester Twp. said McCain's 20-minute speech avoided mentioning his Democratic opponent and focused instead on an energy policy that would cut dependence on foreign oil.

Arter, a member of the host committee, said he was most impressed by McCain's story of how he gave up the chance to leave Vietnam in order to allow another prisoner of war held captive for a longer period of time to go home first.

"His point was, I did this because I'm for the people," Arter said. "I'm for you and I don't think of myself before I think of someone else. That really hit home in that crowd. It went nuts when he said that."

Arter said the crowd of about 300 included House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., and U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Loveland.

Protesters outside the country club paid 20 cents to pose with a cardboard cutout of McCain to spoof those who spent thousands of dollars to be photographed with the actual candidate. They presented the two-dimensional replica with an oversized check for $2.4 million to represent a portion of the money they claim McCain's campaign has received from oil companies.

"We simply need to be here to represent an alternative point of view and point out the pathetic policies John McCain would continue to pursue, which is essentially the Bush third term" said Progress Ohio field operative David Little. "We're opposed to that."