McCain sees close race in Ohio for Romney

COLUMBUS (AP) — A fresh-faced Barack Obama buried Republican John McCain in anti-incumbent sentiment four years ago. Now the 2008 presidential nominee says it’s the president’s turn to feel the heat.

In a telephone interview today during a campaign swing through Ohio, McCain recalled that “with some legitimacy, Barack Obama hung the Bush record around my neck.”

The Arizona senator said turnabout is fair play.

“Now this is the president, incumbent who said if the deficit wasn’t cut in half he shouldn’t run again. This is the president that said that if we pass the stimulus package that unemployment would be less than 6 percent,” he said. “This is the president who we just found out has not shown leadership in the Middle East to the degree where the attack on our U.S. consulate in Libya has turned into a major scandal.”

McCain stopped short of predicting a Romney win — in Ohio, or nationally — but noted that polls are tightening.

“I can draw a scenario where Mitt Romney can win without Ohio, but it’s a very, very difficult path,” he said. “And so I think the eyes of the world will be on Ohio and, from the polling that I see — and this is obviously a very dynamic situation — we could be up late.”