Presidential Politics in Maryland This Weekend BALTIMORE, MD (wypr) - Presidential politics took on a Maryland flavor over the weekend with appearances by Republican candidate John McCain and Green Party candidate Cynthia McKinney, as well as a send-off rally for Obama volunteers heading out of state. WYPR's Joel McCord and Bob Costantini report.

Nearly 500 volunteers gathered in a parking lot in Columbia early Saturday, ready to board one of three waiting charter buses to canvas for Barack Obama in swing states Pennsylvania and Virginia; but not without a lot of encouragement from some of Maryland's top Democrats.

Listen, I'm fired up, are you fired up? (YEAH) Ready to go? (YEAH) You fired up? (YEAH) Ready to go? (YEAH) All right.

Congresswoman Donna Edwards, from Prince Georges County, told the crowd their job was to keep their own numbers up in Maryland, then help out in neighboring states that could be the margin of difference in November.

So we're going to leave this place and we're going to make sure that we find every single voter we can. And anybody who says to you, well you know, it really doesn't matter to me, you tell them it matters to them because it matters to us.

Governor Martin O'Malley compared the Obama volunteers to Maryland's Revolutionary War volunteers, who went north to relieve the blockade of Boston and charged into the breach in Brooklyn to protect Washington's Army.

You are part, no exaggeration, of a very, very important tradition. And it does not survive by itself. It survives because you are willing to fight for it. Because you're willing to do what it takes and go any place in order to make sure that our country has a brighter future.

Yolanda Swift, of Fulton in Howard County, was headed off for another weekend of canvassing in the Virginia.

I was really surprised at the positive reaction that I've been receiving from people, especially in the Virginia area. I've been canvassing over there for several weeks and it's been more positive than I thought it would be.

It may seem strange sending busloads of volunteers to other states in a presidential campaign, but Monica Fabbri, manager of the Howard County Obama office, said party leaders are comfortable with their position Maryland.

You never want to take anything for granted, obviously, but Maryland did very well in the primaries, there's a lot of local support; we are here to pump up the enthusiasm in Maryland. Towards the end there will be a get out the vote effort in the local jurisdictions, but right now, the whole focus is the border states.

As the Obama volunteers fanned out in York and Leesburg, the LUV4SELF Conference, organized by members of the Nation of Islam, opened at Sojourner Douglas College in East Baltimore. Cynthia McKinney, the former Georgia Congresswoman who is the Green party candidate for president was the key note speaker.

But I proved to be a bit too spunky, to ask a few too many questions, and to be a bit too unruly for them. I'm proud to be unruly.

She quoted liberally from a sermon by Father Michael Pfleger, the controversial Catholic priest whose criticism of Hillary Clinton caused an uproar during the primary campaign.

Come boldly. Blow the dust off your dreams, your destiny, your possibilities. Get radical. Refuse to give up, refuse to quit.

She told the audience of about one hundred that they must become leaders who will change conditions in the world and in Washington.

I'm thirsty for justice, not afraid of being called names, not afraid to appear desperate, not afraid to step outside of conformity if it will change the conditions in our community.

McKinney said she doesn't mind being radical because she knows something is deeply wrong in the country.

I'm Joel McCord, reporting in Columbia and East Baltimore.

and the Republican nominee for president, Senator John McCain (applause)

This is Bob Costantini, in Baltimore. On Sunday, John McCain made what will likely be his only public appearance in Maryland, during the campaign. He did so to speak to the annual National Guard association of America convention.

McCain broke topic by mentioning the financial crisis, and his idea that a new government agency should be set up to take over the bad mortgage debt the bush administration wants to assume, so financial firms can remain stable:

At the center of the plan is the principle we must keep people in their homes; and safeguard the life savings of all Americans.by protecting our financial system and capital markets. Senator Obama has declined to put forth a plan of his own.

In fact, the administration is putting forth its plan, which neither candidate will likely be around to vote on this week. Barack Obama says the 700-billion dollar proposal does not have any safeguards and amounts to a blank check.

For McCain, using a teleprompter to address a couple thousand guard leaders from around the country, most of the script was about Iraq:

Both candidates in this election pledge to end the war and bring our troops home; the great difference is that I intend to win it first.

For guardsmen and women, McCain admits his anticipated victory has come at a cost, not only in some lives, but lives of otherwise part-time troops disrupted:

Extended deployments and back-to-back combat tours have become the standard, rather than the exception.

McCain vowed better support for the families left at home, often strained financially.

Brigadier general Guy Walsh, of the Maryland air national guard is pleased that more help may be on the way:

Senator McCain brought that up, talking about the resources that aren't there right now for the Guard; and making sure that they're for the Guard.

Today, senator Joe Biden, with strong credential on foreign policy, will address the convention.

I'm Bob Costantini, reporting from the Baltimore convention center for 88.1, WYPR.

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