The wait to get inside the Franklin & Marshall College Alumni Sports and Fitness Center was dogged by light rain and gray skies Tuesday afternoon.

But the weather didn't deter thousands of John McCain supporters, who came from all parts of the state to see him and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, speak here.

"I support McCain because I think he is the best man for the job," said Joyce Grant, of Bradford County. "I drove four hours to get here, and I'm going to drive four hours back."

"I believe McCain is the best [choice] for the defense of this country," said Don Kellum, a member of a fraternal police lodge in Maryland.

McCain's choice of Palin as his vice president energized the supporters in line.

"I think she adds a lot to this ticket," Kellum said. "She's not afraid to take on the status quo."

Palin was credited by many political analysts as giving McCain a huge boost in the polls. McCain trailed rival Obama through the summer in most major news polls, but the latest CBS News poll put the two candidates in a dead heat at 42 percent.

According to an ABC News count, a typical McCain event before he announced Palin as his running mate averaged about 1,000 people. Now 5,000 has been the low end of turnouts in the last few days at campaign events, and the biggest event last weekend drew about 11,000 in Lee's Summit, Mo.

Though F&M's sports center had a capacity for 7,000, about 10,000 gathered outside to see McCain.

"She hasn't been in Washington, so she's not going to begin and start following the crowd," said James Dugan, a U.S. Navy veteran from Lancaster. "I think she's going to bring the change that needs to be there."

Many in line said they supported McCain because of his experience with foreign policy and his stance on the Iraq war.

"They're very strong supporters of the military," said Jack Miller, a U.S. Navy Reserve veteran from Elizabetown.

"He'll get our men out of Iraq," said Dugan.

"His foreign policy is much more mature than Obama's," said Nick Stokes, of Millersville.

Though not all who gathered in front of the sports center were for McCain. Some came to voice their disagreement with the candidate's policies.

Charles Lane, a member of the local anti-war Lancaster Coalition for Peace and Justice, stood outside the center with a sign that read "McCain is just Bush Warmed Over."

Sherry Wolfe, of Millersville, wore a shirt that read "McCain Votes Against Vets."

"If you look at his record, he has consistently voted against bills for veterans," Wolfe said.