INEZ — John McCain came to listen – and there were questions about the economy, jobs, immigration and even his personal faith.

And mostly, the overflow crowd of about 1,200 squeezed into the Martin County Courthouse and out onto Main Street seemed to like the “straight talk” they heard from McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, who was introduced by Mike Duncan, the Chairman of the Republican National Committee who hails from Inez.

Duncan called McCain “one of our own” and a “Kentuckian in spirit and action” who is “ready to lead.”

McCain recalled that President Lyndon B. Johnson came to Inez in 1964 to issue a declaration of war on poverty in this country, but McCain said “government can’t do your work for you,” and he told the crowd that government “can’t create good jobs outside of government.”

Instead he called for government help in providing information infrastructure to rural and poor areas like Appalachia and for more reliance on the country’s community college system, pointing to collaborative programs at Big Sandy Community and Technical College with coal companies. He said community colleges must retrain displaced workers.

“But I have to tell you many of those jobs are not coming back to American,” he said in response to a question from a woman about imported goods and exported jobs to other countries. But he said there will be new jobs in the information and technology age to replace them for properly educated and trained workers.

“And I look you in the eye and I promise you we will not leave Americans behind because they’ve lost their jobs.”

Not everyone was happy. About 15 United Mine Workers from Pike and Martin counties stood across the street in protest. And a few in the crowd said McCain needs to distinguish how he’ll be different from President George W. Bush. But in 3-to-1 Republican Martin County, most liked what they heard. And McCain promised to return to Inez if elected.

“I will not make promises I intend to forget,” he said. “And I will not make this my last visit to Inez. If I’m elected, I will come back here in the course of my administration and hold another town meeting and invite you to hold me accountable.”

He said the country’s national security is now tied to its dependence on foreign oil and talked about clean coal technology – a popular subject in Martin County, once a vibrant coal producing county which has seen coal mining diminish although two mines are reopening. And he said the country must take another look at nuclear power which he described as safe, clean, “and it can be cheap.”

The Vietnam veteran and prisoner of war said he doesn’t believe the U.S. should set a date for withdrawal from Iraq calling “it a date for surrender,” but he did not mention either of the Democratic party contenders, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, both of whom have promised to withdraw from Iraq. Most of the crowd was supportive, but not all, even in Republican-strong Martin County.

“I’d like to see the boys come home,” said Kay Ward, 61, of Inez, a retired hair dresser and registered Republican. “I have two sons and I sympathize with all the people who’ve lost husbands and sons. It reminds me of Vietnam when I was young.”

Still, Ward said, McCain is her choice “right now” for president. She wants a flat tax – something McCain endorsed in his town hall answers to questions from the audience. And she’s worried about the costs of health care and gasoline.

McCain suggested a “gas tax holiday between Memorial Day and Labor Day” when consumers would not pay federal gasoline taxes, a way to stimulate the economy, according to the Arizona Senator. But he flatly said he was against repeal of Bush’s tax cuts and said spending rather than taxes is the problem.

McCain may have won over one of Ward’s friends, Vivian Tackett, 75, also of Inez and also a registered Republican although she conceded she was raised in a Democratic family and might have voted that way a few times. But shortly before McCain ended the town hall meeting, Tackett said McCain’s speech had “almost” won her over. She said she hasn’t entirely made up her mind.

“It sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?” she said. “If he can do what he says he’ll do.”

McCain was applauded when he said Obama’s recent comments that many working class Americans are bitter and take refuge in guns and religion were “elitist.” And when asked about his personal faith, McCain told of a North Vietnamese prison guard who secretly loosened ropes binding McCain and subsequently on Christmas Day silently drew out a cross in the dirt as McCain watched.

“We can’t always do it by ourselves,” McCain said. “And many, many times, from the most unexpected places, thanks to our common faith, help will come.”

Janet Blankenship, 50, a retired nursing home employee and Martin County native who now lives in Sandy Hook, believed McCain when he said he’d return.

“He’s honest,” she said. “I think he’ll stick to his word about coming back.”

Blankenship plans to vote for McCain, her candidate from the start in this presidential election. She was excited about seeing McCain in person, enough to brave McCain’s security

“Honey, I worked my way up there and got a hold of him,” she said afterward. “I hugged his neck.”

RONNIE ELLIS writes for CNHI News Service and is based in Frankfort. Reach him at rellis@cnhi.com.