McCain seeks to revive campaign, reassure supporters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican 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 the battleground state of Virginia, according to advance excerpts obtained by Reuters, as he tries to revitalize his faltering campaign in the final stretch to the November 4 election.

With the clock ticking down on his chance to narrow the gap, McCain will unveil a new stump speech that a campaign aide said would mark a "more forceful tone" by the Arizona senator in his run for the presidency.

McCain's new rhetoric comes amid a growing sense of urgency as he and top advisers consider new economic proposals to address a deepening U.S. financial crisis sweeping markets worldwide. The list of ideas has been narrowed and the first could be rolled out later this week, the campaign source said.

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

A Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Monday showed Obama with a 4-point lead among likely voters. A new Washington Post-ABC News survey had Obama leading McCain 53 percent to 43 percent among likely voters.

"MEASURING THE DRAPES"

Seeking to counter the impression 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 labor elections, and concede defeat in Iraq," McCain will say.

"But they forgot to let you decide," he will add.

"What America needs in this hour is a fighter, someone who puts all his cards on the table," McCain, a former Navy pilot and Vietnam prisoner of war, will tell his audience.

Other than exhorting the Republican faithful, it remained unclear, however, whether McCain's new stump speech will include any new specific policy ideas that some critics say have been notably lacking so far.

And McCain intends to keep up attacks on Obama's character, the campaign source said, despite signs the tactic has not gained much traction.

The aide said in Monday's appearances in Virginia and North Carolina, another key swing state, McCain would give the economic crisis the same attention he has in other recent speeches, despite criticism he has not focused enough on it.

The new plan under consideration would be designed to help McCain show his concern for millions of Americans seeing their savings vanish in the Wall Street meltdown.

"I think it goes along the lines that now is the time to lower tax rates for investors, capital gains tax, dividend tax rates, to make sure that we can get the economy jump-started," Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of McCain's closest supporters, said on Sunday.

The campaign source said, however, that the timing of McCain's announcement will depend on related developments not only in the United States but also in Europe, where financial leaders are trying to coordinate efforts.

Obama has criticized McCain as being erratic on his earlier proposals for dealing with the financial turmoil, jumping from one idea to another.

(Editing by Jackie Frank)